Scientists of Regency Britain Trivia Quiz

Answer: Michael Faraday

Benzene is a compound composed of six carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms.
The carbon atoms are bonded in a hexagonal ring with each carbon atom also bonded to a hydrogen atom. Faraday first named the substance, which he isolated in 1825, bicarburet of hydrogen. Michael Faraday (1791-1867) is also known for his research on magnetism.

Answer: William Nicol

Nicol's prism, created in 1828, was made from a rhomboid shaped piece of Icelandic spar. His design was widely used in the 19th century, but was gradually replaced by other forms of prisms. William Nicol (1770-1851) also developed a technique for creating extremely thin cross-section of rocks and crystals for study.

Answer: Humphry Davy

Potassium, first identified in 1807, has an atomic number of 19, and would later be assigned the chemical symbol K. Potassium ions play an important role in living cells. In addition, Davy identified several other elements including sodium and barium. Humphry Davy (1778-1829) was also known for the development of the Davy Lamp, designed to be used safely in coal mines.

Answer: John Dalton

In Dalton's original theory, atoms were microscopic and indivisible pieces of elements. Later research showed that atoms were made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Dalton's research was first published in 1805. John Dalton (1766-1844) also recorded large amounts of meteorological data and conducted research into color blindness.

Answer: William Buckland

Although others had observed the fossilized remains before, Buckland was the first to identify the remains as a prehistoric lizard in an 1824 paper. His wife Mary, a fellow paleontologist, provided the drawings of the bones. He named the dinosaur Megalosaurus ("great lizard"). William Buckland (1784-1856) also pioneered the use of coprolites (fossilized feces) as a source of information.

Answer: Robert Brown

Brown served as a scientific advisor on Matthew Flinders's 1801-1805 expedition across the Australian continent. He would then spend the next five years studying and classifying the plant samples he had gathered. Robert Brown (1773-1858) would give some of the first detailed descriptions of the cell nucleus later in his career.

Answer: Tweedy John Todd

Todd's experiments (carried out in the 1820s) were carried out on amphibians and other animals such as worms, which he discovered could not regenerate limbs if the nerves of the limbs were severed. Tweedy John Todd (1789-1840) spent over 20 years as a surgeon in the Royal Navy. He also published a scientific paper on fireflies.

Answer: Peter Barlow

The 1814 book, which eventually became known as "Barlow's Tables", had squares, square roots, cubes, and cube roots for numbers up to 10,000. This source was widely used until it was made obsolete by computers in the second half of the 20th century. Peter Barlow (1776-1862) carried out work later in his career that had application for ships' compasses and steam locomotion.

Answer: David Brewster

A kaleidoscope uses mirrors to show repeating symmetrical patterns of objects.
It was developed in 1815 as an outgrowth of Brewster's experiments on light polarization. Unfortunately, the kaleidoscope was released to the public before Brewster secured a patent, preventing him from benefitting financially from the many devices that were sold in Regency England. Sir David Brewster (1781-1868) was focused on his career on physical optics and developed the field on optical mineralogy.

Answer: John Leslie

His 1810 invention of artificial ice making was described in scientific papers published in 1813 and 1818. John Leslie (1766-1832) also experimented with radiant heat and described the capillary action of liquids. As part of these experiments, he developed the scientific device known as the Leslie Cube.