Talk:Humphry Davy

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On 15 March 2008, Humphry Davy was linked from BBC News, a high-traffic website. (Traffic)

All prior and subsequent edits to the article are noted in its revision history.

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Positioning of reference for a blockquote

Regarding this second revert. what does WP:MOS say about the positioning of a reference for a blockquote? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:10, 19 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The sources now seem to have settled at the end of the block, which I think is correct. Perhaps it doesn't really matter. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:04, 25 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Davy's geological theories

The In popular culture section correctly notes:

> Jules Verne refers to Davy's geological theories in his 1864 novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth

It would be great to speak more of his geological beliefs and studies. Some possible sources

-- Dan Griscom (talk) 17:49, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Proper Annunciation of his discovery.

Sir Humphrey Davey is known for many things including aluminum. The spelling and denunciation of this word is incorrect on his known for section. Sir Humphrey Davey patented his Discovery as aluminum originally spelling it alumium; and later deciding on aluminum. The person who discovers an isolates an element is the person who gets to name it; and no one else. A lot of Brits call it aluminum because a bunch of Humphreys colleagues later changed it in an article to aluminium having an extra I in it's spelling because they felt that it went better with the other elements that end in ium. Colleagues in a scientific journal do not get to change or rename your discovery. The reason that Americans still enunciated the right way is an homage to Mr Humphrey for all that his Discovery did for our country. Which is all the more reason I don't understand why Brits argue this because Humphrey Davey was also a Brit and yet British people still argue the Annunciation of this while America is paying homage. If people want to keep calling it aluminium that's fine but they are incorrect, it is aluminum. 2601:985:4301:9C0:C8F2:D487:AC26:E6D3 (talk) 14:49, 8 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

What about Mr Mendeleev? Maybe an historical footnote would help. Martinevans123 (talk) 15:05, 8 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Isn't it sir Humphry DAVY, not Davey?

Only because I am a Davy and have been told of family connection 121.45.67.157 (talk) 05:04, 12 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Faraday

It seems an oversight to compose such a comprehensive article about Davy with only passing references to Michael Faraday, one of the foremost physicists of our time. Davy's attempts to repress Faraday seem, to me, worthy of a section rather than a hand-wave. Shabd sound (talk) 19:05, 26 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. I have added a paragraph on this rivalry to the section 'Final Years', giving quotes from Cantor's Faraday bio referring to this topic, to counterbalance what seems to me an unduly charitable (to Davy) interpretation of that relationship in the existing first paragraph of that section. 67.249.83.179 (talk) 23:20, 21 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I gave no reference for "Davy's greatest discovery was Faraday" being said by others, not by Davy himself as stated by the existing paragraph #1, also without reference. It seemed fair to counter one unsourced anecdote with another one. I read this many years ago, in roughly the form, "it used to drive Davy crazy, that people said his greatest discovery was Faraday", but I don't now remember where I read this. I never heard this other, more Davy-favorable version that Davy said this himself, until reading it here, also unsourced. Given Davy's vanity and his overt rivalry with Faraday, the more charitable account also seems the less plausible. David Knight in Gooding and James (ed) 'Faraday Rediscovered' p. 33 says, "It has been said of Bergman and of Davy that their greatest discoveries were Scheele and Faraday. This is a rather backhanded kind of compliment. Davy at least would not have relished it ...." Still missing is a reference to someone saying this within the lifetimes of Davy or Faraday. Bhm1968 (talk) 01:28, 30 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Fellow of the Geological Society of London

Neither the ODNB chapter by David M. Knight, nor his 1992 book Humphry Davy: Science and Power mention this appointment. In fact page 176 of the book says: "He had to withdraw from the infant Geological Society because of Banks's opposition to a potential rival..." Neither does it appear at the Society's own history page here. So unless some good source can be found, I'd suggest it should be removed as a mistake. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:28, 24 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Martinevans123: He did rejoin later. "On April 7, 1809, Mr. Greville and Mr. Humphry Davy resigned their memberships ; but it is satisfactory to know that Davy rejoined the Society six years later (1815)". See Woodward, Horace B. (1907). The History of the Geological Society of London. London: Geological Society. p. 29.. DuncanHill (talk) 22:38, 24 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Mr Greville, by the way, was Charles Francis Greville. DuncanHill (talk) 22:42, 24 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks for that info, Duncan. Looking at those 22 instances of Davy in that source, I can't see any mention of him being made a Fellow, and if anyone ought to know, they did? Martinevans123 (talk) 09:01, 25 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

From the Royal Charter of 1825 onwards members ARE Fellows. Per the History page linked above "In 1824 the Council of the Society decided to apply for a Royal Charter. A draft was prepared and on 23 April 1825 the Charter (displayed in the Council Room) was granted, under the Great Seal, by King George IV to the Rev William Buckland, Arthur Aikin, John Bostock MD, George Bellas Greenough and Henry Warburton, who were nominated as the first Fellows of the Society for the purpose of 'Investigating the Mineral Structure of the Earth' and who were empowered to elect other suitably qualified persons as Fellows of the Society. At the following meeting of the Council the existing 367 members of the Society were appointed as Fellows." DuncanHill (talk) 12:01, 25 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, I see. Many thanks for clarifying. That's a big surprise and explains why there is no separate table of "Fellows" at the society website. So Davy became a Fellow on the date of that Council meeting (presumably in 1825) and the accolade may be included in both article main body text and lead section. Maybe a footnote could explain that detail? Martinevans123 (talk) 12:10, 25 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Have now added that book source as a ref. Not sure if the detail over that meeting of 23 April 1825 is worth a mention. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:16, 26 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]