Samuel Taylor, one of the world's most influential scientists, was born in 1763. He graduated from Oxford University and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. His work on natural phenomena was regarded as equal to that of any of his contemporaries and he became a member of the Royal Society of London and an honorary member of the American Philosophical Society. Taylor's two most significant scientific discoveries were the discovery that water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen (1787); and that air is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide (1792). He discovered many other important scientific facts such as the fact that solid matter consists of fixed particles which he called "atoms." He also discovered that all matter is made up of different substances In 1802, Dr
Samuel Taylor published his first book, "Philosophical Transactions" (the first volume in a series of publications which eventually became "Philosophical Transactions Abridged"). In "Philosophical Transactions" Dr. Taylor presented a report on experiments he had made with a small balloon which he called a "gas-bag." Dr.
Taylor observed that the gas-bag would not stay inflated as long as it should have been. This observation led to great speculation among those who knew him about what might be causing the problem – but no answer was found – until Dr. John Dalton published his famous paper titled "A New Systematic Physical Theory." Dalton proposed that Dr.
Taylor's observations might be due to a gas which he dubbed "analogous to hydrogen." Dalton also observed that two gases could be created by combining one with an element which was heavier than both combined together – this theory is known as the Law of Multiple Proportions. Over time, Dr. Taylor confirmed Dalton's conclusions by making many more experiments with various combinations of gases – using different weights for the combined elements – and observed that this process created different proportions of air or air-like substances.
When one compares Dr. Taylor's observations to what we know today about air, it becomes very obvious how much his work helped lay the groundwork for our understanding of gases today.
Sabrina: “But you don’t believe in marriage.” Linus: “Yes, I do. It’s why I’ve never married.Samuel Taylor
(I) want to do everything and see everything, sense everything and feel everything and taste everything; to know that life is an enormous experience and must be used. To be in the world, and of the world, and never to stand aside and watch.Samuel Taylor
