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 ...

The Royal Institution was founded to 'introduce new technologies and teach science to the general public through lectures and demonstrations'. We've been connecting people to science for over 200 ...

From the first electrical transformer to the tube that told us why the sky is blue, view the actual objects scientists of the Royal Institution built in some of the world's most famous experiments.

Humphry Davy was a chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He was director of the Ri from 1801–1825. Born in Penzance, Sir Humphry Davy attended Truro ...

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

The first ever prototype of Davy’s miner’s safety lamp. Created in 1815, it prevented the methane gas present in the depths of the mines from reacting with the flame and exploding. Following a number ...

Join us for a live recording of podcast 'Who Moved the Tortoise?' featuring former lecturer Helen Czerski, CHRISTMAS LECTURES directors, producers and more, as they discuss bringing live science to a ...

This vessel consists of glass flasks fitted one inside the other and sealed at the neck with a partial vacuum between them. The central flask is therefore insulated, keeping the contents cold and ...

In this workshop with John Davies and Rob Swinney, maths, science and engineering come together to show how humankind has reached the stars and beyond. Using the work of three great thinkers, ...

Help us create more opportunities for everyone to discover, discuss and critically examine science and the way it shapes our lives. The Ri has been connecting people with science for over 200 years.

This workshop explores a concept which astronomers refer to as "The Cosmic Distance Ladder". By measuring progressively larger distances in the solar system, and then beyond, we can get a handle on ...