Michael Faraday (1791–1867)

Born on 22 September 1791 in Newington Butts, which was once a village and is now part of London, Michael Faraday was a chemist and physicist whose ingenious experiments demonstrated the relationship between electricity and magnetism. As a boy Faraday worked for a bookbinder, a job that gave him access to books, which he read to educate himself. His scientific career began when he became an assistant to chemist Humphrey Davy. Faraday’s first discoveries were in chemistry, notably in electrochemistry. The terms anode, cathode, and electrode were Faraday’s introductions. To physicists, Faraday is best known for discovering electromagnetic induction and diamagnetism. Faraday also proved that magnetism influences light. The entry in his lab notebook for 19 March 1849 reads in part: “Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature; and in such things as these experiment is the best test of such consistency.” (Photo credit: Oil painting by Thomas Phillips/PD)

Editor’s note: This post is updated from one that was originally published in 2016.

Date in History: 22 September 1791