Henry Cavendish’s Chronology and Publications
Born Sunday, 31 October 1731, in Nice, first child of Lord Charles Cavendish and Lady Anne (de Grey) Cavendish.
Death of his mother, Lady Anne, on 20 September 1733, at Putteridge. Move of his father, Lord Charles, from Putteridge to Great Marlborough Street, Westminster, in 1738.
Entered Hackney Academy in 1742.
Entered St. Peter’s College, or Peterhouse, Cambridge University, as a fellow commoner, on 24 November 1749.
First publication, in Latin, “Luctus,” in Cambridge University, Academicae Cantabrigiensis Luctus in Obitum Frederici celsissimi Walliae Principis (Cambridge, 1751) (Lament on the Death of Most Eminent Frederick, Prince of Wales).
Left Cambridge without taking a degree, having been in residence until 23 February 1753, nearly the full time required for a degree.
Probably subscribed to Felice Giardini’s musical Academy in London in 1758 or 1759.
Proposed 10 November 1757, and elected 31 July 1760, member of the Society of Royal Philosophers (Royal Society Dining Club).
Proposed 9 January 1760, and elected 16 January 1760, member of the Society of Arts.
Proposed 31 January 1760, and elected 1 May 1760, Fellow of the Royal Society of London.
First published research, appearing in a paper by William Heberden, “Some Account of a Salt Found on the Pic of Teneriffe,” PT 55 (1765): 57–60; read 7 February 1764.
Elected 30 November 1765 member of the Council of the Royal Society, the first of many times.
First published research under his own name, “Three Papers, Containing Experiments on Factitious Air,” PT 56 (1766): 141–184; read 29 May, 6 and 13 November 1766. For this work, he was awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society.
“Experiments on Rathbone-Place Water,” PT 57 (1767): 92–108; read 19 February 1767.
“An Attempt to Explain Some of the Principal Phaenomena of Electricity, by Means of an Elastic Fluid,” PT 61 (1771): 584–677; read 19 December 1771 and 9 January 1772.
Proposed 21 January 1773, and elected 25 February 1773, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Elected 8 December 1773 trustee of the British Museum.
“An Account of Some Attempts to Imitate the Effects of the Torpedo by Electricity,” PT 66 (1776): 196–225; read 18 January 1775.
“An Account of the Meteorological Instruments Used at the Royal Society’s House,” PT 66 (1776): 375–401; read 14 March 1776.
Acquired a country house 34 Church Row, Hampstead, appearing in the rate books from 3 January 1782 through 17 September 1785.
“An Account of a New Eudiometer,” PT 73 (1783): 106–135; read 16 January 1783.
Death of his father, Lord Charles, on 28 April 1783.
“Observations on Mr. Hutchins’s Experiments for Determining the Degree of Cold at Which Quicksilver Freezes,” PT 73 (1783): 303–328; read 1 May 1783.
“Experiments on Air,” PT 74 (1784): 119–169; read 15 January 1784.
“Answer to Mr. Kirwan’s Remarks upon the Experiments on Air,” PT 74 (1784): 170–177; read 4 March 1784.
Bought a new townhouse 11 Bedford Square on 21 May 1784.
“Experiments on Air,” PT 75 (1785): 372–384; read 2 June 1785.
Bought a new country house on Clapham Common on 18 June 1785.
“An Account of Experiments Made by Mr. John McNab, at Henley House, Hudson’s Bay, Relating to Freezing Mixtures,” PT 76 (1786): 241–272; read 23 February 1786.
“An Account of Experiments Made by Mr. John McNab, at Albany Fort, Hudson’s Bay, Relative to the Freezing of Nitrous and Vitriolic Acids,” PT 78 (1788): 166–181; read 28 February 1788.
“On the Conversion of a Mixture of Dephlogisticated and Phlogisticated Air into Nitrous Acid, by the Electric Spark,” PT 78 (1788): 261–276; read 17 April 1788.
“On the Height of the Luminous Arch Which Was Seen on Feb. 23, 1784,” PT 80 (1790): 101–5; read 25 February 1790.
“On the Civil Year of the Hindoos, and Its Divisions; with an Account of Three Hindoo Almanacs Belonging to Charles Wilkins,” PT 82 (1792): 383–399; read 21 June 1792.
“Extract of a Letter from Henry Cavendish, Esq. to Mr. Mendoza y Rios, January, 1795,” PT 87 (1797): 119–122; read 22 December 1796.
“Experiments to Determine the Density of the Earth,” PT 88 (1798): 469–526; read 21 June 1798.
Became a proprietor of the Royal Institution on 10 February 1800, elected manager on 1 May 1800.
Elected Foreign Associate of the Institute of France in 1803.
“On an Improvement in the Manner of Dividing Astronomical Instruments,” PT 99 (1809): 221–45; read 18 May 1809.
Died 24 February 1810 at Clapham Common.