History of science

Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile

The first electrical battery, invented by Volta in 1800 in Genoa, Italy. This voltaic pile, made before 1813, was presented to

Michael Faraday's Magnetic Laboratory

The actual laboratory where Michael Faraday made his fundamental discoveries of the magneto-optical effect and of diamagnetism

History of science

James Dewar's vacuum flask

Dewar’s first-ever vacuum flask. Created in 1892 to hold liquefied gases at extremely low temperatures, this object is the

History of science

Michael Faraday's gold colloids

These liquids are some of the first examples of metallic gold colloids, made by Michael Faraday over 150 years ago.

History of science

Humphry Davy's miners' safety lamp

The first ever prototype of Davy’s miner’s safety lamp. Created in 1815, it prevented the methane gas present in the depths of

History of science

Michael Faraday's electric magnetic rotation apparatus (motor)

The first surviving Faraday apparatus, dating from 1822, demonstrates his work in magnetic rotation. Faraday used this mercury

History of science

Michael Faraday's generator

Faraday created the first transformer in August 1831. A few months later he designed and made this simple piece of apparatus