Michael Faraday A Great Scientist

Micheal Faraday

Michael Faraday Life and how he learned Science:

Shakir Ullah

Do you think Michael Faraday—the scientist whose laws of electromagnetism we study today—was always smart and successful? Actually, his early life was full of struggle and failure.

A Tough Start

When Faraday was a young boy, his teacher asked him, “What comes with the letter R?” He couldn’t answer. Even after trying again and again, he made mistakes. The teacher became so frustrated, she sent a student to bring a stick—to punish him.

Faraday’s mother was heartbroken. She came to school, held his hand, and took him away forever. It is said that after that day, Faraday never went back to school.

Leaving school was not easy. Faraday suffered because he never learned math properly. But his love for learning, deep thinking, and hard work helped him do amazing things. He became one of the most brilliant scientists in history.

Born in a poor family on September 22, 1791, Faraday’s father was a blacksmith, and his family often struggled for food. At age 13, Michael got a job at a bookbinder’s shop. He would bind books by day—and read them at night. Electricity, chemistry, and physics became his passion.

A Golden Chance

One day, he attended a lecture by Sir Humphry Davy. While others clapped, Faraday quietly wrote down every word in his notebook. Later, he sent this notebook to Davy. Impressed by the young boy’s dedication, Davy made Faraday his assistant in 1813.

The Student Shines

When Davy injured his eyes during an experiment, he needed help. Faraday stepped in—not just to clean bottles and tools, but eventually to perform his own experiments. His work was so careful and detailed that he began making discoveries of his own.

Faraday’s contributions laid the foundation for modern science:

• Electromagnetic Induction – He showed how electricity can create motion, leading to the electric motor.
• Electrochemical Laws – His research helped build batteries and understand chemical reactions.
• Electricity & Magnetism – He proved that electric current could produce a magnetic field—a principle behind modern generators and motors.
• Faraday wasn’t good at math. He didn’t write equations or complex formulas. But his sharp observation and imagination gave birth to ideas later developed into math by great scientists like James Clerk Maxwell.

Discoveries That Changed the World

He never became a university professor, never chased wealth. Even when the Queen offered him a royal honor, he politely said no. He lived simply, with strong faith and honesty.

Michael Faraday passed away on August 25, 1867. But his name still lives wherever electricity flows, motors run, and science experiments happen.

A Lesson for Us All

The boy who couldn’t answer “R for what?” now has his laws printed in every physics book.

So will you give up because of your weaknesses?

If Faraday could rise from a poor shoe-shining boy to one of history’s greatest scientists—why can’t you?