or solids, with a pan for small weights on top and a small container ("basket") on the bottom into which a sample can be placed. in 1790, William Nicholson obtained a patent for a cylindrical printing machine - a design which was copied in the USA and Barcelona, before Friedrich Konig developed and commercialised the concept in 1814. In 1797 he founded, published, and wrote part of the Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts, generally known as Nicholson's Journal, the earliest monthly scientific work of its kind in Great Britain. The journal published the first known aerodynamic analysis of gliders and heavier-than-air fixed-wing flying machines designs, by George Cayley in 1809–1810. The publication continued until 1814. In 1799 he established a school in London's Soho Square, where he taught natural philosophy and chemistry, with the aid of a grant of £1,500 from Thomas Pitt. In May 1800 he with Anthony Carlisle discovered electrolysis, the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen by voltaic current. The two were then appointed to a chemical investigation committee of the new Royal Institution. But his own interests shortly turned elsewhere. In 1809 he became a first class corresponding member, living abroad, of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands. Besides considerable contributions to the Philosophical Transactions, Nicholson wrote translations of Fourcroy's Chemistry (1787) and Chaptal's Chemistry (1788), First Principles of Chemistry (1788) and a Chemical Dictionary (1795); he also edited the British Encyclopedia, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (6 vols., London, 1809). Later life During the later years of his life, Nicholson's attention was chiefly directed to water supply engineering at Portsmouth, at Gosport and in Hammersmith. William Nicholson died in Bloomsbury at the age of 61 on 21 May 1815, attended by Sir Anthony Carlisle. See also Timeline of hydrogen technologies References Attribution: Largely based on the public domain Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition and Mike Chrimes, article "Nicholson, William", in Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers, vol. 1 1500–1830, 2002 Further reading Gino Loria. 1916. "The Philosophical Magazine and History of Mathematics" Mathematical Gazette 8:325–9. Sue Durrell (editor). 2018. The Life of William Nicholson, by his Son. Published by Peter Owen. Anna Gielas. 2020. "Turning tradition into an instrument of research: The editorship of William Nicholson (1753–1815)" Centaurus. International Journal of the History of Science and its Cultural Aspects 62:38-53. External links www.NicholsonsJournal.com 1753 births 1815 deaths Writers from London English scientists