Discover200 at the Ri

Help us celebrate 200 years of the Christmas Lectures, Discourses and discovery of benzene.

An explosive demo in the Ri Theatre during a lecture taking place
Image credit: Paul Wilkinson

In 2025 we’re celebrating 200 years of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES and Ri Discourses – both landmark moments in the Ri’s rich history of engaging public audiences with science – as well as the discovery of benzene. Join us throughout 2025 to explore the past, present and future of science, as we Discover200

Pioneering public engagement

Share your memories with us Carl Sagan giving the CHRISTMAS LECTURES in 1977

Tell us your memories

Throughout 2025 we’re celebrating the 200th anniversaries of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES and Ri Discourses, and we’re asking as many people as possible to share their memories of these two landmark series. Do you have a favourite lecturer or demonstration? How has watching the lectures changed your life?

 

Share your memories with us

Find out more about Discover200

Special events, exhibitions and untold stories from our internationally significant archive – explore more Discover200 content here.

Michael Faraday's Christmas Lectures 1855
The Royal Institution, London, UK/ The Bridgeman Art Library

Michael Faraday (1791-1867) Lecturing in the Theatre at the Royal Institution, c.1856 (coloured lithograph) by Blaikley, Alexander (1816-1903)

Our history

The Royal Institution was founded in March 1799 with the aim of introducing new technologies and teaching science to the general public. Find out what happened next.

Explore the Ri's timeline Iconic objects from the Ri collection
Discover the history of the Ri
A painting of the exterior of the Ri in the 19th centure, with people and horses walking past
A painting of the exterior of the Ri in the 19th centure, with people and horses walking past
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