Michael Faraday
 
Faraday Statue
 


'My education was of the most ordinary description, consisting of little more than the rudiments of reading writing and writing at a common day school.
My hours out of school were passed at home or on the streets.'

Michael Faraday




Faraday Photo

Not a lot is known of Faraday's early life, but his birth was faithfully recorded in the family bible on 22nd September 1791 at Newington Butts in Southwark, South London. At the age of thirteen, practically illiterate, Faraday landed a job as a newspaper cum-errand boy with George Riebau, a bookseller and binder who had a thriving business in Blandford Street, Marylebone. Within a year Mr Riebau had apprenticed him as a book-binder and for the next seven years, Faraday worked diligently at his craft. But young Michael didn't just bind the many and various volumes which passed through his hands, he took the opportunity to read and digest each and every one of them - and his favourites were books on science.

Hearing that Humphrey Davy was presenting a series of lectures at the Royal Institute, Faraday managed to obtain tickets and was mightily impressed by the Cornish scientist. He took copious notes of the great man's speeches and in his spare time, bound the notes with the finest Morocco leather. Whilst he was working in the shop one day, Faraday overheard a customer mention that Humphrey Davy was looking for a new lab assistant, so he immediately wrapped the Note-book carefully in hessian and delivered it to the great man, accompanied with a letter of application. The application was successful and Faraday commenced work as Firelighter, Sweeper, Apparatus-Cleaner and Washer - Or 'Fag and Scrub' as it was know at the Royal Institute.



Electric Motor It was the start of a career in science which in later years furnished mankind with one of the greatest of inventions. Based on his own experiments on electromagnetic rotation, Faraday was the first man to build a pratical electric motor.



Cartoon from Punch MagazineIn later years, Faraday gracefully declined a Knighthood from Queen Victoria, although he did accept Prince Albert's suggestion of a Grace and Favour residence at Hampton Court. His inventions, and the words he devised with which to describe his new discoveries - words like, 'electrodes', 'anode', 'cathode' and 'electronic', have become synonomous with the 20th century.



Tune in to The Sexton's Tales and be prepared to be shocked and amazed.

Episode IV of Series II

'THE FATHER OF ELECTRICITY'