The Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain (commonly known as the Royal Institution or Ri) is a prestigious scientific organization and heritage venue located at 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS in the Mayfair district . Founded in 1799 by scientist Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) and leading figures including Sir Joseph Banks, it was granted a Royal Charter in 1800
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Historical Significance
The Royal Institution has been at the forefront of scientific discovery for over 220 years. Its mission has always been the “diffusion of knowledge” — bringing science to the public through lectures and demonstrations
. The building itself is a Grade I listed Georgian townhouse that has been home to some of history’s most important scientific work
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Key scientific achievements that occurred here include:
Michael Faraday’s discovery of electromagnetic rotations (1821) and invention of the Faraday cage (1836)
James Dewar’s invention of the Dewar flask (Thermos) in 1892
Kathleen Lonsdale’s identification of benzene’s structure (1925)
The completion of lysozyme structure mapping (1965)
Example Lectures - The Universe
