TIL that an English chemist named James Price claimed to be able to turn mercury into silver or gold. When asked by members of the Royal Society to perform the experiment in front of credible witnesses, he reluctantly agreed, only to drink poison in front of them instead.

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Price_(chemist)
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1gncbla/til_that_an_english_chemist_named_james_price/