Adults and families are set to ‘Discover200’ years of the past, present and future of science, at the Royal Institution (Ri) this year, as the science charity celebrates the 200th anniversaries of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES, Ri Discourses and the discovery of Benzene.
Historic demonstrations before Ri Discourses, a heritage exhibition telling untold stories from the Ri’s internationally significant archive, and bespoke new science shows are just some of the activities planned to mark these ‘landmark moments’ in the UK’s history of public engagement and scientific advance.
Running throughout the whole of 2025, ‘Discover200’ will also see all available broadcast series of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES made freely available worldwide via the Ri’s YouTube channel, special ‘past, present and future’ programming through the Ri’s public Theatre talks, and the recreation of historic moments in the Ri’s Theatre through a candlelit Discourse and other heritage activities.
Katherine Mathieson, Director of the Royal Institution, said:
“We’re excited to be showcasing the Ri’s heritage of pioneering public engagement and the UK’s rich history of scientific advance, throughout 2025.
“Michael Faraday was busy in 1825 creating the landmark moments we’re celebrating today. And as we believe science is for everyone, we’re delighted to be inviting people of all ages and backgrounds to join us at the Ri, and explore online, as we celebrate this special year.”
Instigated by Michael Faraday specifically for a ‘juvenile’ audience at a time when formal education was scarce, the CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution have been given every year since 1825, with the exception of a few years during WWII when UK Theatres were closed. They are the longest running series of science lectures for children in the world; were the first science programme broadcast on UK national television in 1936; and have been broadcast every year since 1966.
Friday Evening Discourses at the Ri were introduced to highlight new and emerging scientific and cultural developments to the public, at a time before the advent of formal peer-review. Many ‘firsts’ took place in the lecture theatre of the Ri as a result, including display of photography, showing of moving images, recording and playback of sound and announcement of the discovery of the electron to name a few.
Faraday first recorded his work on benzene, a natural hydrocarbon and a component of crude oil, in his notebook in May 1825, originally naming it ‘Bicarburet of hydrogen’. Having been used in the manufacture of everything from aftershave to decaffeinated coffee, today it is known to be toxic and is mainly used in industrial processes to create other substances. In 1925 – exactly 100 years after Faraday discovered Benzene – another Ri scientist, Kathleen Lonsdale, confirmed its structure at the Ri, using X-ray Crystallography which was also developed at the Ri.
Special celebratory activities, rarely seen archive items, and untold stories from 200 years of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES and Ri Discourses are being curated on the Ri’s Discover200 webpages.