History of chemistry iodine first, but both scientists acknowledged Courtois as the first to isolate the element. In 1815, Humphry Davy invented the Davy lamp, which allowed miners within coal mines to work safely in the presence of flammable gases. There had been many mining explosions caused by firedamp or methane often ignited by open flames of the lamps then used by miners. Davy conceived of using an iron gauze to enclose a lamp's flame, and so prevent the methane burning inside the lamp from passing out to the general atmosphere. Although the idea of the safety lamp had already been demonstrated by
Cap lamp Cap lamp A cap lamp is a lamp worn on the head or helmet. It is mostly used in an underground environment, like mines or during outdoor activities, e.g. climbing. A patent for a self-adjusting bracket for use with cap lamps was awarded in 1985. The two most recent variants of the cap lamp are the GEN 4 and GEN 5 models. The GEN 4 model, approved for use by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MHSA), uses the headpiece of existing cap lamps, but retrofitted with new LEDs and electronics. The GEN 5 model is very similar to the