Royal Institution for its founding were given by the Society for Bettering the Conditions and Improving the Comforts of the Poor, under the guidance of philanthropist Sir Thomas Bernard and American-born British scientist Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. Since its founding it has been based at 21 Albemarle Street in Mayfair. Its Royal Charter was granted in 1800. Throughout its history, the Institution has supported public engagement with science through a programme of lectures, many of which continue today. The most famous of these are the annual Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, founded by Michael Faraday. The Royal Institution was founded as the
David Carnegie (scientist) David Carnegie (scientist) Col. David Carnegie ( - ), was a British scientist, engineer and Liberal Party politician who worked for the Canadian government. He was the son of David Carnegie and Margaret Bogue of Aberdeen. He was educated at Gordon's College, Aberdeen and at the Royal College of Science, London. In 1896, he married Frances Ellen Lloyd of Leicester, and they had three sons. Carnegie was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and was elected an Ordinary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1910. Before World War I, Carnegie