When we think of electricity, we normally have two names that come to mind. Edison and Tesla.
But one name we never hear is Michael Faraday. He lived from 1791 to 1867. Faraday was the British scientist who laid the groundwork for much of our modern electrical world.
And remarkably, he had almost no formal education.
I have probably heard his name, but didn’t know much about him. As it turns out, he was a pretty remarkable guy.
Faraday was born into a poor family in England. At 14, he became an apprentice to a bookbinder. While binding books, he read them. Science fascinated him. He educated himself page by page.
He eventually attended lectures by the chemist Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution. Faraday took careful notes, sent them to Davy, and was later hired as his assistant. That job changed everything. As a note. Davy was a British chemist and inventor. He helped launch modern chemistry and also helped shape the future of electricity.
Anyway.
Back to Faraday. He made foundational discoveries in:
Electromagnetic induction (1831) — He discovered that moving a magnet near a wire can generate electricity. This principle is behind electric generators and transformers.
Electric motors — His experiments led directly to the first simple electric motor.
Electrolysis — He established the laws explaining how electricity moves through liquids.
The Faraday cage — A device that blocks electromagnetic fields (the reason you can sit safely inside a car during lightning).
Without Faraday, there would be no practical electric power systems as we know them.
Don’t believe me? Albert Einstein kept Faraday’s portrait in his study as inspiration.
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“Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature.”
— Michael Faraday
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“The important thing is to never stop questioning.”
— Albert Einstein
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“Scientific discovery is the result of the persistent and systematic application of curiosity.”
— Michael Faraday
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“In Faraday’s mind, the invisible became visible.”
— John Tyndall
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“Genius is patience.”
— Michael Faraday
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