Who gave Faraday many tickets to Humphry Davy's lectures in 1812?

William Dance gave Michael Faraday many tickets to Humphry Davy’s lectures in 1812.

Dance was a customer of George Riebau, the bookbinder with whom Faraday was apprenticed. Recognising Faraday’s intense interest in science, Dance obtained tickets that allowed the young apprentice to attend lectures at the Royal Institution. These opportunities exposed Faraday to Davy’s experiments and public demonstrations.

Faraday carefully took notes during the lectures and expanded them into a substantial handwritten volume of about 300 pages. He sent the work to Davy, whose favourable reply helped establish an important connection between the aspiring scientist and the celebrated chemist.

The names in this episode are easy to confuse. John Tatum founded the City Philosophical Society and was associated with Faraday’s scientific education, while George Riebau was Faraday’s master. William Dance was the benefactor who supplied the lecture tickets. Davy later hired Faraday at the Royal Institution, turning an act of encouragement into a decisive career opportunity.