Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic, which have been held at the Royal Institution

Royal Institution

The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...

 in London each year since 1825. The lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including young people, in an informative and entertaining manner. Michael Faraday

Michael Faraday

Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....

 initiated the first Christmas Lecture series in 1825. This came at a time when organised education for young people was scarce. Faraday presented a total of nineteen series in all.

The Christmas Lectures have continued annually since 1825, interrupted only during the Second World War. Scientists who have delivered lectures include Baroness Susan Greenfield

Susan Greenfield

Susan Adele Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, CBE is a British scientist, writer, broadcaster, and member of the House of Lords. Greenfield, whose specialty is the physiology of the brain, has worked to research and bring attention to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.Greenfield is...

 (former Director of the Royal Institution), naturalist Sir David Attenborough, astronomer Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan

Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...

, biologist Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins

Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...

 and Nobel

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

 Laureate George Porter

George Porter

George Hornidge Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, OM, FRS was a British chemist.- Life :Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, South Yorkshire. He was educated at Thorne Grammar School, then won a scholarship to the University of Leeds and gained his first degree in chemistry...

.

Television

The lectures have been televised since 1966. They were broadcast on BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

 from 1966–1999, Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 from 2000–2004, Channel Five

Channel Five

Channel 5 is a television network that broadcasts in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1997, it was the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue network to launch. The station was branded as Five between 2002 and 2010...

 from 2005–2008 and More4

More4

More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...

 in 2009. The 2010 lectures were broadcast on BBC Four

BBC Four

BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....

 on Tuesday 28 December, Wednesday 29 December and Thursday 30 December at 8 pm.

List of Christmas Lectures

The following is a complete list of the Christmas Lectures :

Year	Lecturer(s)	Title of series
1825	John Millington John Millington (professor) John Millington, born May 11, 1779, died 1868 was a licensed attorney in England before he began his engineering career. He served as professor of mechanics at the Royal Institution from 1817 to 1829. then worked as an engineer with the Anglo-Mexican Mining Association in 1829...	Natural Philosophy
1826	J. Wallis	Astronomy
1827	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Chemistry
1828	J. Wood	Architecture
1829	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Electricity
1830	Thomas Webster Thomas Webster (geologist) Thomas Webster , Scottish geologist, was born in Orkney, and was educated at Aberdeen.He subsequently went to London and studied architecture, the Royal Institution in Albemarle Street being built from his design...	Geology
1831	James Rennie James Rennie James Rennie FRS was a Scottish naturalist.-Life:In 1815 he graduated M.A. from Glasgow University where he had previously studied natural sciences, and took holy orders. In 1821 he moved to London. From 1830 to 1834 he was professor of natural history and zoology at King's College. From then on...	Zoology
1832	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Chemistry
1833	John Lindley John Lindley John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...	Botany
1834	William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande FRS , English chemist.Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of...	Chemistry
1835	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Electricity
1836	William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande FRS , English chemist.Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of...	Chemistry of the Gases
1837	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Chemistry
1838	J. Wallis	Astronomy
1839	William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande FRS , English chemist.Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of...	The Chemistry of the Atmosphere and the Ocean
1840	John Frederic Daniell John Frederic Daniell John Frederic Daniell was an English chemist and physicist.Daniell was born in London, and in 1831 became the first professor of chemistry at the newly founded King's College London. His name is best known for his invention of the Daniell cell , an electric battery much better than voltaic cells...	The First Principles of Franklinic Benjamin Franklin Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...  Electricity
1841	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Rudiments of Chemistry
1842	William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande FRS , English chemist.Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of...	The Chemistry of the Non-Metallic Elements
1843	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	First Principles of Electricity
1844	William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande FRS , English chemist.Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of...	The Chemistry of the Gases
1845	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Rudiments of Chemistry
1846	J. Wallis	The Rudiments of Astronomy
1847	William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande FRS , English chemist.Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of...	The Elements of Organic Chemistry Organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
1848	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Chemical History of a Candle The Chemical History of a Candle The Chemical History of a Candle was the title of a series of six lectures on the chemistry and physics of flames given by Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution...
1849	Robert Walker	The Properties of Matter and the Laws of Motion Laws of motion In physics, a number of noted theories of the motion of objects have developed. Among the best-known are:* Classical mechanics** Newton's laws of motion**Euler's laws**Cauchy's equations of motion** Kepler's laws of planetary motion ** General relativity...
1850	William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande William Thomas Brande FRS , English chemist.Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of...	The Chemistry of Coal
1851	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Attractive Forces
1852	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Chemistry
1853	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Voltaic Electricity
1854	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Chemistry of Combustion
1855	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Distinctive Properties of the Common Metals
1856	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Attractive Forces
1857	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	Static Electricity
1858	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Metallic Properties
1859	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Various Forces of Matter and their Relations to Each Other
1860	Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....	The Chemical History of a Candle
1861	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Light
1862	Edward Frankland Edward Frankland Sir Edward Frankland, KCB, FRS was a chemist, one of the foremost of his day. He was an expert in water quality and analysis, and originated the concept of combining power, or valence, in chemistry. He was also one of the originators of organometallic chemistry.-Biography:Edward Frankland was born...	Air and Water
1863	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Electricity at Rest and Electricity in Motion
1864	Edward Frankland Edward Frankland Sir Edward Frankland, KCB, FRS was a chemist, one of the foremost of his day. He was an expert in water quality and analysis, and originated the concept of combining power, or valence, in chemistry. He was also one of the originators of organometallic chemistry.-Biography:Edward Frankland was born...	The Chemistry of a Coal Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
1865	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Sound
1866	Edward Frankland Edward Frankland Sir Edward Frankland, KCB, FRS was a chemist, one of the foremost of his day. He was an expert in water quality and analysis, and originated the concept of combining power, or valence, in chemistry. He was also one of the originators of organometallic chemistry.-Biography:Edward Frankland was born...	The Chemistry of Gases
1867	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Heat and Cold
1868	William Odling William Odling William Odling, FRS was an English chemist who contributed to the development of the periodic table....	The Chemical Changes of Carbon
1869	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Light
1870	William Odling William Odling William Odling, FRS was an English chemist who contributed to the development of the periodic table....	Burning and Unburning
1871	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Ice, Water, Vapour and Air
1872	William Odling William Odling William Odling, FRS was an English chemist who contributed to the development of the periodic table....	Air and Gas
1873	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	The Motion and Sensation of Sound
1874	John Hall Gladstone John Hall Gladstone John Hall Gladstone FRS was a British chemist. He served as President of the Physical Society between 1874 and 1876 and during 1877–1879 was President of the Chemical Society...	The Voltaic Battery
1875	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Experimental Electricity
1876	John Hall Gladstone John Hall Gladstone John Hall Gladstone FRS was a British chemist. He served as President of the Physical Society between 1874 and 1876 and during 1877–1879 was President of the Chemical Society...	The Chemistry of Fire
1877	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Heat, Visible and Invisible
1878	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	A Soap Bubble
1879	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Water and Air
1880	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	Atoms
1881	Robert Stawell Ball Robert Stawell Ball Sir Robert Stawell Ball was an Irish astronomer. He worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867 he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University...	The Sun, the Moon and the Planets
1882	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	Light and the Eye
1883	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	Alchemy in Relation to Modern Science
1884	John Tyndall John Tyndall John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...	The Sources of Electricity
1885	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	The Story of a Meteorite
1886	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	The Chemistry of Light and Photography
1887	Robert Stawell Ball Robert Stawell Ball Sir Robert Stawell Ball was an Irish astronomer. He worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867 he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University...	Astronomy
1888	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	Clouds and Cloudland
1889	Arthur Rücker Arthur William Rucker Sir Arthur William Rucker , KB, FRS was a British physicist. He gained his BA at Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1871, and was a Fellow there from 1871 to 1876...	Electricity
1890	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	Frost and Fire
1891	John Gray McKendrick	Life in Motion; or the Animal Machine
1892	Robert Stawell Ball Robert Stawell Ball Sir Robert Stawell Ball was an Irish astronomer. He worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867 he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University...	Astronomy
1893	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	Air: Gaseous and Liquid
1894	John Ambrose Fleming John Ambrose Fleming Sir John Ambrose Fleming was an English electrical engineer and physicist. He is known for inventing the first thermionic valve or vacuum tube, the diode, then called the kenotron in 1904. He is also famous for the left hand rule...	The Work of an Electric Current
1895	John Gray McKendrick	Sound, Hearing and Speech
1896	Sylvanus Phillips Thompson	Light, Visible and Invisible
1897	Oliver Lodge	The Principles of the Electric Telegraph
1898	Robert Stawell Ball Robert Stawell Ball Sir Robert Stawell Ball was an Irish astronomer. He worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867 he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University...	Astronomy
1899	Charles Vernon Boys	Fluids in Motion and at Rest
1900	Robert Stawell Ball Robert Stawell Ball Sir Robert Stawell Ball was an Irish astronomer. He worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867 he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University...	Great Chapters from the Book of Nature
1901	John Ambrose Fleming John Ambrose Fleming Sir John Ambrose Fleming was an English electrical engineer and physicist. He is known for inventing the first thermionic valve or vacuum tube, the diode, then called the kenotron in 1904. He is also famous for the left hand rule...	Waves and Ripples in Water, Air and Aether
1902	Henry Selby Hele-Shaw Henry Selby Hele-Shaw Henry Selby Hele-Shaw FRS was an English mechanical and automobile engineer. He was the inventor of the variable-pitch propeller, which contributed to British success in the Battle of Britain in 1940, and he experimented with flows through thin cells. Flows through such configurations are named in...	Locomotion : On the Earth, Through the Water, in the Air
1903	Edwin Ray Lankester	Extinct Animals
1904	Henry Cunynghame	Ancient and Modern Methods of Measuring Time
1905	Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner was a British astronomer and seismologist.-Biography:Herbert Hall Turner was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge., In 1884 he accepted the post of Chief Assistant at Greenwich Observatory and stayed there for nine years...	Astronomy
1906	William Duddell William Duddell William Du Bois Duddell was a British electro-physicist and electrical engineer. He was privately educated in the UK and France and rose quickly through the prestigious City & Guilds Schools via scholarships...	Signalling to a Distance
1907	David Gill David Gill (astronomer) Sir David Gill FRS was a Scottish astronomer who is known for measuring astronomical distances, for astrophotography, and for geodesy. He spent much of his career in South Africa.- Life and work :...	Astronomy, Old and New
1908	W. Stirling	The Wheel of Life
1909	William Duddell William Duddell William Du Bois Duddell was a British electro-physicist and electrical engineer. He was privately educated in the UK and France and rose quickly through the prestigious City & Guilds Schools via scholarships...	Modern Electricity
1910	Sylvanus Phillips Thompson	Sound: Musical and Non-Musical
1911	Peter Chalmers Mitchell Peter Chalmers Mitchell Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell CBE FRS DSc LLD , zoologist, was Secretary of the Zoological Society of London from 1903 to 1935. During this time he directed the policy of the London Zoo, and created the world's first open zoological park known as Whipsnade Wild Animal Park.- Early life :Peter...	The Childhood of Animals
1912	James Dewar James Dewar Sir James Dewar FRS was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best-known today for his invention of the Dewar flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases...	Christmas Lecture Epilogues
1913	Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner was a British astronomer and seismologist.-Biography:Herbert Hall Turner was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge., In 1884 he accepted the post of Chief Assistant at Greenwich Observatory and stayed there for nine years...	A Voyage in Space
1914	Charles Vernon Boys	Science in the Home
1915	Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner was a British astronomer and seismologist.-Biography:Herbert Hall Turner was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge., In 1884 he accepted the post of Chief Assistant at Greenwich Observatory and stayed there for nine years...	Wireless Messages from the Stars
1916	A. Keith	The Human Machine Which All Must Work
1917	John Ambrose Fleming John Ambrose Fleming Sir John Ambrose Fleming was an English electrical engineer and physicist. He is known for inventing the first thermionic valve or vacuum tube, the diode, then called the kenotron in 1904. He is also famous for the left hand rule...	Our Useful Servants : Magnetism and Electricity
1918	D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson CB FRS FRSE was a Scottish biologist, mathematician, and classics scholar. A pioneering mathematical biologist, he is mainly remembered as the author of the 1917 book On Growth and Form, written largely in Dundee in 1915...	The Fish of the Sea
1919	William Henry Bragg William Henry Bragg Sir William Henry Bragg OM, KBE, PRS was a British physicist, chemist, mathematician and active sportsman who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg - the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics...	The World of Sound
1920	John Arthur Thomson	The Haunts of Life
1921	John Ambrose Fleming	Electric Waves and Wireless Telephony
1922	Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner Herbert Hall Turner was a British astronomer and seismologist.-Biography:Herbert Hall Turner was educated at Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge., In 1884 he accepted the post of Chief Assistant at Greenwich Observatory and stayed there for nine years...	Six Steps Up the Ladder to the Stars
1923	William Henry Bragg William Henry Bragg Sir William Henry Bragg OM, KBE, PRS was a British physicist, chemist, mathematician and active sportsman who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg - the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics...	Concerning the Nature of Things
1924	F. Balfour Browne	Concerning the Habits of Insects
1925	William Henry Bragg William Henry Bragg Sir William Henry Bragg OM, KBE, PRS was a British physicist, chemist, mathematician and active sportsman who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son William Lawrence Bragg - the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics...	Old Trades and New Knowledge
1926	Archibald Vivian Hill	Nerves and Muscles: How We Feel and Move
1927	Edward Andrade Edward Andrade Edward Neville da Costa Andrade FRS was an English physicist, writer, and poet.-Background:Andrade was a Sephardi Jew and is a descendant Moses da Costa Andrade...	Engines
1928	A. Wood	Sound Waves and their Uses
1929	Stephen Glanville Stephen Glanville Stephen Ranulph Kingdon Glanville, MBE was an English historian and egyptologist.-Biography:S R K Glanville was born in Westminster, London, the eldest son of Stephen James Glanville and Nannie Elizabeth . He was first cousin to Frank Kingdon-Ward the explorer and botanist and also related to...	How Things Were Done in Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
1930	A.M. Tyndall	The Electric Spark
1931	William Lawrence Bragg William Lawrence Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg CH OBE MC FRS was an Australian-born British physicist and X-ray crystallographer, discoverer of the Bragg law of X-ray diffraction, which is basic for the determination of crystal structure. He was joint winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915. He was knighted...	The Universe of Light
1932	Alexander Oliver Rankine	The Round of the Waters
1933	James Hopwood Jeans James Hopwood Jeans Sir James Hopwood Jeans OM FRS MA DSc ScD LLD was an English physicist, astronomer and mathematician.-Background:...	Through Space and Time
1934	William Lawrence Bragg William Lawrence Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg CH OBE MC FRS was an Australian-born British physicist and X-ray crystallographer, discoverer of the Bragg law of X-ray diffraction, which is basic for the determination of crystal structure. He was joint winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915. He was knighted...	Electricity
1935	C.E.K. Mees	Photography
1936	G.I. Taylor	Ships
1937	Julian Huxley Julian Huxley Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS was an English evolutionary biologist, humanist and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century evolutionary synthesis...	Rare Animals and the Disappearance of Wild Life
1938	James Kendall James Kendall James Pickering Kendall FRS FRSE was an English chemist.He was born in Chobham, Surrey to soldier William Henry Kendall and his second wife Rebecca. He attended the local village school and then from 1900 Farnham Grammar School...	Young Chemists and Great Discoveries
1939–1942	No lectures due to the Second World War World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
1943	Edward Andrade Edward Andrade Edward Neville da Costa Andrade FRS was an English physicist, writer, and poet.-Background:Andrade was a Sephardi Jew and is a descendant Moses da Costa Andrade...	Vibrations and Waves
1944	Harold Spencer Jones Harold Spencer Jones Sir Harold Spencer Jones KBE FRS was an English astronomer. Although born "Jones", his surname became "Spencer Jones"....	Astronomy in our Daily Life
1945	Robert Watson-Watt Robert Watson-Watt Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, KCB, FRS, FRAeS is considered by many to be the "inventor of radar". Development of radar, initially nameless, was first started elsewhere but greatly expanded on 1 September 1936 when Watson-Watt became...	Wireless
1946	H. Hartridge	Colours and How We See Them
1947	Eric K. Rideal	Chemical Reactions: How They Work
1948	Frederic Bartlett Frederic Bartlett Sir Frederic Charles Bartlett FRS was a British psychologist and the first professor of experimental psychology at the University of Cambridge. He was one of the forerunners of cognitive psychology...	The Mind at Work and Play
1949	Percy Dunsheath	The Electric Current
1950	Edward Andrade Edward Andrade Edward Neville da Costa Andrade FRS was an English physicist, writer, and poet.-Background:Andrade was a Sephardi Jew and is a descendant Moses da Costa Andrade...	Waves and Vibrations
1951	James Gray James Gray (zoologist) - External links :*...	How Animals Move
1952	F. Sherwood Taylor F. Sherwood Taylor Dr Frank Sherwood Taylor, PhD was a British historian of science, museum curator, and chemist who was Director of the Science Museum in London, England....	How Science Has Grown
1953	J.A. Ratcliffe	The Uses of Radio Waves
1954	Frank Whittle Frank Whittle Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...	The Story of Petroleum Petroleum Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
1955	Harry W. Melville	Big Molecules
1956	H. Baines	Photography
1957	J. Huxley and J. Fisher	Birds
1958	J.A. Ratcliffe, J.M. Stagg, R.L.F. Boyd, Graham Sutton Graham Sutton Sir Graham Sutton CBE FRS was a British mathematician and meteorologist.He was educated at Pontywaun Grammar School, the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and at Jesus College, Oxford .He was Professor of Mathematics at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham,... , G.E.R. Deacon, G. de Q. Robin	The International Geophysical Year
1959	Thomas Allibone Thomas Allibone Thomas Edward Allibone, CBE, FRS was an English physicist, his work included important research into particle physics, X-rays, high voltage equipment, and electron microscopes.-Early life:...	The Release and Use of Atomic Energy
1960	V.E. Cosslett	Seeing the Very Small
1961	William Lawrence Bragg William Lawrence Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg CH OBE MC FRS was an Australian-born British physicist and X-ray crystallographer, discoverer of the Bragg law of X-ray diffraction, which is basic for the determination of crystal structure. He was joint winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915. He was knighted...	Electricity
1962	R.E.D. Bishop	Vibration
1963	Ronald King	Energy
1964	Desmond Morris Desmond Morris Desmond John Morris, born 24 January 1928 in Purton, north Wiltshire, is a British zoologist and ethologist, as well as a popular anthropologist. He is also known as a painter, television presenter and popular author.-Life:...	Animal Behaviour
1965	Bernard Lovell Bernard Lovell Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell OBE, FRS is an English physicist and radio astronomer. He was the first Director of Jodrell Bank Observatory, from 1945 to 1980.-Early Life:... , Francis Smith, Martin Ryle Martin Ryle Sir Martin Ryle was an English radio astronomer who developed revolutionary radio telescope systems and used them for accurate location and imaging of weak radio sources... , Antony Hewish Antony Hewish Antony Hewish FRS is a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 for his work on the development of radio aperture synthesis and its role in the discovery of pulsars...	Exploration of the Universe
1966	Eric Laithwaite Eric Laithwaite Eric Roberts Laithwaite was a British electrical engineer, known as the "Father of Maglev" for his development of the linear induction motor and maglev rail system.- Biography :...	The Engineer in Wonderland
1967	Richard L. Gregory	The Intelligent Eye
1968	P. Morrison	Gulliver's Laws: The Physics of Large and Small
1969	George Porter George Porter George Hornidge Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, OM, FRS was a British chemist.- Life :Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, South Yorkshire. He was educated at Thorne Grammar School, then won a scholarship to the University of Leeds and gained his first degree in chemistry...	Time Machines
1970	John Napier John Napier (primatologist) John Russell Napier, MRCS, LRCP, D.Sc. was a British primatologist, paleoathropologist, and physician, who is notable for his work with Homo habilis and OH 7, as well as on human and primate hands/feet...	Monkeys Without Tails: A Giraffe's Eye-view of Man
1971	Charles Taylor Charles Taylor (physicist) Charles Alfred Taylor was a British physicist well known for his work in crystallography and his efforts to promote science to young audiences....	Sounds of Music: the Science of Tones and Tune
1972	G.G. Gouriet Geoffrey G. Gouriet Geoffrey George Gouriet M.I.E.E joined the "Drive Section" of the "Transmitters Department" of the BBC in 1937, and in 1937 or 1938 he was the inventor of a high stability crystal-controlled variant of the Colpitts oscillator...	Ripples in the Ether: The Science of Radio Communication
1973	David Attenborough David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...	The Language of Animals
1974	Eric Laithwaite Eric Laithwaite Eric Roberts Laithwaite was a British electrical engineer, known as the "Father of Maglev" for his development of the linear induction motor and maglev rail system.- Biography :...	The Engineer Through the Looking Glass
1975	Heinz Wolff Heinz Wolff Professor Heinz Wolff BSc. FIEE. FIBES FRCP FRSA is a German-British scientist, and television and radio presenter who was born in 1928. He is popularly known for his television and radio work, including the TV series The Great Egg Race....	Signals from the Interior
1976	George Porter George Porter George Hornidge Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, OM, FRS was a British chemist.- Life :Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, South Yorkshire. He was educated at Thorne Grammar School, then won a scholarship to the University of Leeds and gained his first degree in chemistry...	The Natural History of a Sunbeam
1977	Carl Sagan Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...	The Planets
1978	Erik Christopher Zeeman Erik Christopher Zeeman Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman FRS , is a Japanese-born British mathematician known for his work in geometric topology and singularity theory....	Mathematics into Pictures
1979	E.M. Rogers	Atoms for Engineering Minds: A Circus of Experiments
1980	David Chilton Phillips David Chilton Phillips David Chilton Phillips, Baron Phillips of Ellesmere, KBE, FRS is considered to be a founding father of the now expanding field of structural biology and was an influential figure in science and government...   with Max Perutz Max Perutz Max Ferdinand Perutz, OM, CH, CBE, FRS was an Austrian-born British molecular biologist, who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with John Kendrew, for their studies of the structures of hemoglobin and globular proteins...  in Lecture 5	The Chicken, the Egg and the Molecules
1981	Reginald Victor Jones Reginald Victor Jones Reginald Victor Jones, CH CB CBE FRS, was a British physicist and scientific military intelligence expert who played an important role in the defence of Britain in -Education:...	From Magna Carta Magna Carta Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...  to Microchip
1982	Colin Blakemore Colin Blakemore Professor Colin Blakemore, Ph.D., FRS, FMedSci, HonFSB, HonFRCP, is a British neurobiologist who is Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and University of Warwick specialising in vision and the development of the brain. He was formerly Chief Executive of the British Medical...	Common Sense
1983	Leonard Maunder	Machines in Motion
1984	Walter Bodmer Walter Bodmer Sir Walter Bodmer is a German-born British human geneticist. His father being Jewish, the family left Germany in 1938 and settled in Manchester. Bodmer has developed models for population genetics and done work on the human leukocyte antigen system and the use of somatic cell hybrids for human...	The Message of the Genes
1985	John David Pye	Communicating
1986	Lewis Wolpert Lewis Wolpert Lewis Wolpert CBE FRS FRSL is a developmental biologist, author, and broadcaster.-Career:Wolpert was educated at the University of Witwatersrand , at Imperial College London, and at King's College London...	Frankenstein's Quest: Development of Life
1987	John Meurig Thomas John Meurig Thomas Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS is a leading British chemist and educator primarily known for his work on heterogeneous catalysis, solid-state chemistry, and surface and materials science. He has authored over one thousand scientific articles and several books, including Principles and Practice of...  and David Phillips David Phillips David Phillips may refer to:*David Phillips , Canadian actor*David Phillips , former Canadian international...	Crystals and Lasers
1988	Gareth Roberts Gareth Roberts (Scientist) Sir Gareth Gwyn Roberts FRS, FREng , was a Welsh physicist specialising in semiconductors and molecular electronics, who was influential in British science policy through his chairmanship of several academic bodies and his two reports on the future supply of scientists and how university research...	The Home of the Future
1989	Charles Taylor Charles Taylor (physicist) Charles Alfred Taylor was a British physicist well known for his work in crystallography and his efforts to promote science to young audiences....	Exploring Music
1990	Malcolm Longair Malcolm Longair -External links:...	Origins
1991	Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...	Growing Up in the Universe Growing Up in the Universe Growing Up in the Universe was a series of lectures given by Richard Dawkins as part of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, in which he discussed the evolution of life in the universe....
1992	Charles J.M. Stirling	Our World Through the Looking Glass
1993	Frank Close Frank Close Francis Edwin Close OBE is a noted particle physicist who is currently Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.-Early life:...	The Cosmic Onion
1994	Susan Greenfield Susan Greenfield Susan Adele Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, CBE is a British scientist, writer, broadcaster, and member of the House of Lords. Greenfield, whose specialty is the physiology of the brain, has worked to research and bring attention to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.Greenfield is...	Journey to the Centre of the Brain
1995	James Jackson	Planet Earth, An Explorer's guide
1996	Simon Conway Morris Simon Conway Morris Simon Conway Morris FRS is an English paleontologist made known by his detailed and careful study of the Burgess Shale fossils, an exploit celebrated in Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould...	The History in our Bones
1997	Ian Stewart Ian Stewart (mathematician) Ian Nicholas Stewart FRS is a professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, England, and a widely known popular-science and science-fiction writer. He is the first recipient of the , awarded jointly by the LMS and the IMA for his work on promoting mathematics.-Biography:Stewart was born...	The Magical Maze
1998	Nancy Rothwell Nancy Rothwell Dame Nancy J. Rothwell, DBE, FRS is a British physiologist and academic who became the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester in July 2010, having been Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor since January 2010. Dame Nancy is also a director of pharmaceuticals company...	Staying Alive
1999	Neil F. Johnson Neil F. Johnson Neil Fraser Johnson is a Professor of physics notable for his work in complexity theory and complex systems, spanning quantum information, econophysics, and condensed matter physics. He is also notable for his book Financial Market Complexity published by Oxford University Press, and for his...	Arrows of Time
2000	Kevin Warwick Kevin Warwick Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom...	Rise of the Robots
2001	John Sulston	The Secrets of Life
2002	Tony Ryan Tony Ryan (scientist) Professor Anthony John Ryan, OBE is a polymer chemist at the University of Sheffield. He delivered the 2002 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.-Life:...	Smart Stuff
2003	Monica Grady Monica Grady Monica Mary Grady is a leading British space scientist, primarily known for her work on meteorites. She is currently Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University....	Voyage in Space and Time
2004	Lloyd Peck	To the End of the Earth: Surviving Antarctic Extremes
2005	John Krebs John Krebs John Richard Krebs, Baron Krebs FRS is a world leader in zoology and more specifically bird behaviour. He is currently the Principal of Jesus College, Oxford University...	The Truth About Food
2006	Marcus du Sautoy Marcus du Sautoy Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy OBE is the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. Formerly a Fellow of All Souls College, and Wadham College, he is now a Fellow of New College...	The Num8er My5teries
2007	Hugh Montgomery Hugh Montgomery (geneticist) Professor Hugh Montgomery is currently the director of the UCL Institute for Human Health and Performance at University College London. He was the first to discover any gene for fitness, ACE.Professor Montgomery has complemented his interest in fitness with achievements which include the...	Back from the Brink: The Science of Survival
2008	Christopher Bishop Christopher Bishop Professor Christopher M. Bishop, FREng, FRSE, is Chief Research Scientist at Microsoft Research Cambridge and holds a Chair of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh.-Career:...	Hi-tech Trek
2009	Sue Hartley Sue Hartley Sue Hartley is a British ecologist and director of the Environmental Sustainability Institute, at the University of York . Previously she was Professor of Ecology at the University of Sussex, specialising in interactions between plants and animals...	The 300-Million-Year War
2010	Mark Miodownik	Size Matters
2011	Bruce Hood Bruce Hood (psychologist) Bruce Hood is a Canadian-born experimental psychologist who specialises in developmental cognitive neuroscience and is Director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre, based at Bristol University....	Meet Your Brain

External links

• The Royal Institution