Michael Faraday

Born 22 September 1791, Faraday received little formal education and worked as a bookbinder before becoming one of history's most influential scientists. He thought visually rather than in symbols, his mathematics limited to simple algebra, yet he established the concept of the electromagnetic field and discovered the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis. His inventions of electromagnetic rotary devices formed the foundation of electric motor technology, making electricity practical for use in technology. As a chemist, he discovered benzene and carbon tetrachloride, invented an early form of the Bunsen burner, and popularised terms like "anode," "cathode," and "ion." He became the first Fullerian Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution, devoted time to public service - investigating colliery explosions, industrial pollution, the Great Stink of the Thames - and refused to develop chemical weapons for the Crimean War, citing ethical reservations. James Clerk Maxwell translated his visual intuitions into equations that became the basis of all modern electromagnetic theory, writing that Faraday was "in reality a mat