Michael Faraday was born in the country village of Newington, Surrey, now a part of South London. His father was a blacksmith who had migrated from the north of England earlier in 1791 to look for work.
His mother was a country woman of great calm and wisdom who supported her son emotionally through a difficult childhood. Faraday was one of four children, all of whom were hard put to get enough to eat, since their father was often ill and incapable of working steadily.
Education
Michael began attending weekly science lectures. He kept detailed notes and bound these notes into beautiful notebooks. The lectures he attended included a series at the Royal Institution by Sir Humphry Davy, the famous chemist who later invented the coalminer’s safety lamp. (The Royal Institution had been set up to help increase public awareness of useful scientific inventions and everyday applications of science.) On completion of his apprenticeship, Michael sought a job in science. He used his beautifully bound notes of Sir Humphry’s lectures to convince Sir Humphry of his serious commitment to science. In 1813 he was hired when a laboratory assistant’s position became available. Michael Faraday’s scientific career had begun.
Contributions and Achievements
Faraday’s earliest contribution to chemistry was while he was working as an assistant to Davy. He was involved in the study of chlorine. Faraday also conducted experiments on the diffusion of gases. Additionally, he succeeded in liquefying several gases, investigating the alloys of steel, and producing several new kinds of glass intended for optical purposes. One of Faraday’s most notable works was invention of the earliest form of Bunsen burner (as we call it today), which is still in use today in the science laboratories around the world as a most suitable source of heat. His extensive work in the field of chemistry can be found out from the fact that he discovered the chemical substance benzene, a chemical compound of carbon and hydrogen. Faraday also discovered two new compounds in chlorine and carbon. While one is used in smoke grenades, the other is employed in the arena of dry cleaning, and spot removing.Faraday is also credited for discovering the laws of electrolysis, and for popularizing terminology such as anode, cathode, electrode, and ion, for which he took the help of William Whewell. It is said that Faraday first reported what we today know as metallic nanoparticles. In 1847, Faraday researched that the optical properties of gold colloids differed from those of the corresponding bulk metal, and it was this discovery which marked the birth of nanoscience.
Awards
The Michael Faraday Prize is awarded by the Royal Society of London for "excellence in communicating science to UK audiences". Named after Michael Faraday, the medal itself is made of silver gilt, and is accompanied by a purse of £2500. The prize was first awarded in 1986 to Charles Taylor for "his outstanding presentations of physics and applications of physics, aimed at audiences from six-year-old primary school children to adults", and has since been awarded 25 times. It is awarded annually and unlike other Royal Society awards such as the Hughes Medal, it has been presented every year since its inception. The most recent recipient was Colin Pillinger. The winner is required to present a lecture as part of the Society's annual programme of public events, which is usually held in January of the following year; during the lecture, the President of the Royal Society awards the medal.Unlike other prizes awarded by the society, the committee has not always publicly provided a rationale. This has occurred five times—in 2004 to Martin Rees, in 2006 to Richard Fortey, in 2007 to Jim Al-Khalili, in 2008 to John D. Barrow and most recently in 2009 to Marcus du Sautoy
Later life
At the Royal Institution of Great Britain, Faraday was elected a member of the Royal Society in 1824. The next year, he was appointed director of the laboratory. Later in 1833, Faraday was bestowed upon with the position, Fullerian Professor of Chemistry, which he was appointed for life. Apart from the scientific researches that Faraday undertook at the Royal Institution, he also worked at numerous other projects given to him by private enterprises and the British government. Faraday spent a considerable amount of time in the construction and operation of light houses. He was also active in what is today known as environmental science. While he aided with the planning and judging of exhibits for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, Faraday was also involved in advising the National Gallery on the cleaning and protection of its art collection.
However, in the early 1840s, Faraday's health began to deteriorate and he did less research. He died on 25 August 1867 at Hampton Court, where he had been given official lodgings in recognition of his contribution to science. He gave his name to the 'farad', originally describing a unit of electrical charge but later a unit of electrical capacitance.