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The “Priest of Truth”–that’s how Punch magazine described Michael Faraday, in a poetic tribute printed after his death in 1867. The poem recounts how, through Faraday’s scientific insights, “a larger unity… broadens to view, till in some breathless hour all force is known.” That’s an exaggeration of what Faraday actually achieved, but a neat summary of what he aimed for. He was a firm believer in the interconnectedness of physical phenomena, and he devoted his life to establishing relationships between hitherto disparate forces of nature. He discovered electromagnetic induction, which connects magnetism with electricity. He constructed an electric motor, which converts electricity into motion. He worked out the laws of electrolysis, which link electricity with chemistry. And “Faraday rotation” describes the effect of magnetism on polarised light.
In fact, going by the number of things named after him, Faraday has to be counted one of the most successful physicists in history. Yet he was far from typical of the breed.Theory of Everything.
