Happy Birthday Dear Faraday

 

Dear Mr. Michael Faraday,

On your birthday, I offer you my respect and gratitude. You were born on September 22, 1791, in a small, unknown place called Newington Butts in London. However, through your scientific discoveries and innovations, not only you became famous, but your birthplace also gained recognition.

The saying "No matter where one is born, the work should be good" resonated with you as well. Despite being born into a poor family of a blacksmith and not having the opportunity to attend school or college, you did not let that hold you back. With your own efforts, you learned to read. While working as a mere bookbinder’s apprentice, you read every book that came into your hands. But you didn’t just read, you learned to think critically. The lack of formal education in mathematics didn’t stop you either. You demonstrated your expertise in experimental physics.

At that time, England wasn’t short of people who recognized true talent (and still isn't). You met the famous physicist Sir Humphry Davy, who appreciated your talent and scientific curiosity and gave you the opportunity to research at the Royal Institution. Your lack of formal education wasn’t an obstacle then.

Thanks to your contributions, the world has witnessed a revolution in electrical devices. In 1831, you discovered electromagnetic induction — the process of generating electricity from a magnetic field and vice versa. Between 1833 and 1834, you discovered the relationship between electrical flow and chemical reactions, known as the principle of electrolysis. The field theory — particularly the concept of the magnetic field — that challenges us today was introduced by you.

By inventing the electric motor, you changed the way the entire world works. If you hadn’t discovered the process of generating mechanical motion from electrical current, perhaps we would still be reliant only on physical strength. The list of your discoveries and innovations goes on and on.

We use the gifts of science for our own benefit, but we often fail to express gratitude, or when we do, it is directed elsewhere. But since you were a true scientist, such things probably didn’t concern you.

Oh great Faraday, as a humble student of physics, I salute you on your birthday.

Happy birthday, oh great one.