Henry Cavendish

10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810

Henry Cavendish (1731-1810) was a British natural philosopher and experimental chemist and physicist, famous for the discovery of hydrogen, which he called 'inflammable air', and for demonstrating that water is a compound. A wealthy and famously reclusive aristocrat, he performed the celebrated Cavendish experiment that measured the density of the Earth and effectively determined the gravitational constant.

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Life events

Born in Nice, France
10 October 1731

Henry Cavendish was born in Nice, where his aristocratic English family was staying, the son of Lord Charles Cavendish.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Entered Hackney Academy in London
1742

At age 11 Cavendish began his schooling at Hackney Academy, a private school near London.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge
1749 – 1753

Cavendish attended Cambridge for four years but left without taking a degree, a common practice among aristocrats of the time.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Elected Fellow of the Royal Society
1760

Cavendish was elected to the Royal Society of London, whose meetings and dinners were among his few regular social engagements.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Discovered hydrogen, which he called 'inflammable air'
1766

In his paper 'On Factitious Airs', Cavendish isolated and described hydrogen gas and measured its remarkably low density.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Demonstrated that water is produced by combining hydrogen and oxygen
c. 1783 – 1784

Cavendish's experiments on exploding mixtures of gases showed that water is a compound rather than an element, results he published in 1784.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Determined the composition of the atmosphere
1785

Cavendish measured the proportions of the gases in air with great accuracy and noted a small unreactive residue later identified as argon.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Performed the Cavendish experiment measuring the density of the Earth
1798

Using a torsion balance devised by John Michell, Cavendish measured the gravitational attraction between lead spheres and calculated the Earth's density, allowing later determination of the gravitational constant.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in London
24 February 1810

Cavendish died at his home in Clapham, London, leaving one of the largest fortunes in Britain, and was buried in what is now Derby Cathedral.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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