A Life of Discovery #1

I have been reading A Life of Discovery, a biography of Michael Faraday by James Hamilton.

Born in 1791, Faraday was a blacksmith's son with a modest education, yet he had a rare intelligence and intuition. He was a devout member of a small Christian sect that believed in the literal truth of the Bible, yet was keenly interested in knowledge of the natural world as well. He was an insightful experimenter, ambitious, and savvy about spreading news of his work, yet he patented nothing and didn't try to commercialize his work.

At age 14 he began an apprenticeship as a bookbinder for George Riebau, a bookbinder and bookseller. He became quite skilled at it, learning the practical, technical side of it. He took advantage of it to do a lot of reading as well, including Lavoisier's Elements of Chemistry. He took long walks around London to observe machinery, steam engines, and construction. Many of Riebau's customers were artists, and he learned a lot about making art, too. Meanwhile, encouraged by Riebau, he attended lectures by John Tatum about electricity, optics, chemistry, and more. Believing his memory was sub-par, Faraday took copious notes.

After seven years as an apprentice, he knew he didn't want to be a bookbinder for the rest of his life. On the other hand, he needed income, and sought such a position. That didn't succeed, and he also looked for a job in science. He fortunately became an assistant and valet to Humphrey Davy, the foremost chemist in the world at the time. Davy was a great experimenter and a lecturer who dazzled his audiences with his discoveries, demonstrations, and delivery at the Royal Institution. Faraday assisted, keenly observed and absorbed. He helped Davy with the invention of the Davy lamp that could be used in coal mines with much greater safety for the miners. Faraday began lecturing and dazzling audiences, too.

Together they experimented with a wide variety of things --  metals, iodine, diamond, light, gases, electricity, magnets, lenses, and more. Faraday became a much sought after chemical analyst and forensic scientist for court cases on such matters. For example, he testified on behalf of an insurance company that denied a claim to a sugar refiner due to a factory fire. The insurer denied the claim because the refiner began using whale oil in a new process without telling the insurer. Faraday explained why the whale oil was much more dangerous and the steps that led to the explosion and fire. His client lost anyway, because the refiner did not intend to defraud the insurer.