The Chemical History of a Candle

The latest Citzien Scientist has a great review of TThe Chemical History of a Candle Michael Faraday. Mike writes…

Michael Faraday, a man with little formal education, is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is also considered the father of electrical engineering. During the Christmas holidays of 1860 and 1861, Faraday presented a series of six lectures before a Juvenile Auditory at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. In addition to these six lectures, this book includes an additional lecture on the element platinum.

Faraday was an amazing individual who overcame many setbacks with determination and perseverance. When he was an apprenticed book binder, Faraday attended a series of lectures given by Sir Humphrey Davy and took detailed notes. He later transcribed the lectures into a note book and presented it to Sir Humphrey, who offered Faraday a job.

In addition to my admiration of the great Michael Faraday, SAS’s own Forrest M. Mims III remarked that he considered Michael Faraday “a great inspiration and personal hero.” Albert Einstein stated that he considered Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and James Clerk Maxwell as three of the most influential people in the history of science. This book was recommended to me by 2002 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. John B. Fenn, who is also a long standing member of the Michael Faraday fan club.