Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Royal Institution Christmas Lectures The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic each, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each year since 1825, missing 1939–42 because of the Second World War. The lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including young people, in an informative and entertaining manner. Michael Faraday 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 Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures were first held in
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