Humphry Davy grew up poor helping his mother pay off debts left by his father, a woodcarver who had lost his earnings in speculative investments. As a result, Davy's education was haphazard, and he disliked being a student. The schools in his part of...

Humphry Davy grew up poor helping his mother pay off debts left by his father, a woodcarver who had lost his earnings in speculative investments. As a result, Davy's education was haphazard, and he disliked being a student. The schools in his part of...

Humphry Davy grew up poor, helping his mother pay off debts left by his father, a woodcarver who had lost his earnings in speculative investments. As a result, Davy's education was haphazard, and he disliked being a student. The schools in his part of...

The English chemist and natural philosopher Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) isolated and named the elements of the alkaline-earth and alkali metals and showed that chlorine and iodine were elements. Humphry Davy was born on Dec. 17, 1778, in Penzance,...