Michael Faraday

📷 Wikimedia Commons — domaine public — Thomas Phillips — 1842

1791 — 1867

royaume de Grande-Bretagne, Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande

TechnologySciencesLiterature19th Century19th century — the age of the Industrial Revolution and great scientific discoveries

A self-taught British physicist and chemist (1791–1867), Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction and laid the foundations of modern electrical engineering. His work on electric and magnetic fields inspired Maxwell's theories.

Famous Quotes

« Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature. »

« Work, finish, publish. »

Key Facts

1821: invention of the first primitive electric motor
1831: discovery of electromagnetic induction
1833: formulation of the laws of electrolysis
1836: invention of the Faraday cage
1845: discovery of the Faraday effect (rotation of the plane of polarization of light by a magnetic field)

Works & Achievements

Discovery of Electromagnetic Induction (1831)

By varying a magnetic flux through a coil, Faraday demonstrated that an electric current could be generated by a changing magnetic field. This principle underpins all modern generators, alternators, and electrical transformers.

Invention of the First Electric Motor (1821)

Faraday built the first device to convert electrical energy into continuous mechanical motion, by rotating a conducting wire around a fixed magnet. This foundational demonstration opened the door to industrial electromechanics.

Laws of Electrolysis (Faraday's Laws) (1833)

Faraday formulated two quantitative laws linking the mass of substance deposited during electrolysis to the amount of electric charge used. These laws are still taught in chemistry today and form the foundation of electrochemistry.

Discovery of the Faraday Effect (Magneto-Optics) (1845)

Faraday demonstrated that a magnetic field could rotate the plane of polarization of light passing through a material, establishing for the first time an experimental link between light and magnetism. This discovery profoundly influenced Maxwell.

Experimental Researches in Electricity (3 volumes) (1839-1855)

A compilation of his scientific papers published in the Philosophical Transactions, tracing twenty years of research on electricity and magnetism. This work stands as one of the most important scientific publications of the 19th century.

The Chemical History of a Candle (1861)

A collection of six lectures delivered for young audiences at the Royal Institution, explaining chemistry and physics through the combustion of a candle. Translated into many languages, this book remains a masterpiece of popular science writing.

Anecdotes

Michael Faraday was the son of a poor blacksmith and had received only a basic education. At 14, he became an apprentice bookbinder at a London bookseller, which allowed him to read the books he bound — including the article on 'Electricity' in the Encyclopædia Britannica. This self-taught hunger for knowledge would transform a simple craftsman into one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century.

In 1812, Faraday attended lectures by the renowned chemist Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution. He took meticulous notes, carefully bound them into a volume, and sent it to Davy along with a request for a position. Davy, impressed, hired him as a laboratory assistant. Years later, Davy would reportedly confide that his greatest discovery was not a chemical element, but Michael Faraday himself.

On October 17, 1831, Faraday carried out one of the most important experiments in the history of science: he threaded an iron ring through a coil of wire and observed that moving a magnet toward or away from a coil produced an electric current. This phenomenon — electromagnetic induction — is the founding principle behind every modern electrical generator and transformer.

Faraday twice declined the presidency of the Royal Society, the highest scientific honor in Britain. He also refused a knighthood from Queen Victoria, preferring to remain 'plain Mr. Faraday.' A deeply devout man and member of a small Protestant sect called the Sandemanians, he believed that worldly glory was incompatible with his religious convictions.

In his later years, Faraday suffered from severe memory loss, likely caused by prolonged exposure to mercury vapors during his experiments. Prince Albert offered him a house at Hampton Court, where he spent his final years. He died in 1867 in his armchair, eyes open — never having lost awareness of the magnitude of his discoveries.

Primary Sources

Experimental Researches in Electricity (1831)

I have been desirous of discovering whether a current of electricity in one wire could induce a current in another wire. The results I have obtained are such as to give me reason to believe that this effect is producible.

Letter from Faraday to Richard Phillips on Lines of Force (1852)

I desire to lay before you a few thoughts on the subject of magnetic lines of force, their probable nature, and the part they appear to me to play in various phenomena.

The Chemical History of a Candle (transcription of lectures) (1861)

There is no better, there is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle.

Faraday's Diary (Royal Institution archives) (1831)

Made the ring. Wound 24 feet of copper wire round one half. Connected the ends of the wire with a galvanometer. On passing a current through the other coil, the galvanometer was affected.

Key Places

Royal Institution, London

Institution founded in 1799 where Faraday worked for more than fifty years, first as an assistant and later as director of the laboratory. It was here that he made all his great discoveries and delivered his famous public lectures.

Newington Butts, Surrey (London)

A working-class district south of London where Faraday was born in 1791 into a very modest family. His humble social origins stand in striking contrast to the extraordinary importance of his scientific discoveries.

Hampton Court, Surrey

A residence offered to Faraday by Prince Albert in 1858, where he spent his final years suffering from memory loss. He died peacefully there in 1867, in the house known as 'Grace and Favour'.

Highgate Cemetery, London

A Victorian cemetery where Faraday is buried in his family's tomb, in keeping with his wishes for a modest burial. He declined to be interred at Westminster Abbey despite the offers that were made to him.