Several parallels between the life and work of Joseph Henry and English physicist Michael Faraday exist. Like Faraday, Henry was born into a poor family. Both received little formal education and both were apprenticed at an early age, Faraday to a bookbinder, Henry to a watchmaker at the age of 13. Both, finally, made lasting contributions to the field of electrical research.

Henry's interest in science was sparked by an odd coincidence. He had chased his pet rabbit underneath a church. Noticing that some floorboards were missing, 16-year-old Henry climbed into the church and found a shelf of books. He began looking through Lectures on Experimental Philosophy and was instantly hooked on science. He entered the Albany Academy and later began to teach at country schools to earn an income. He graduated from the academy and was leaning toward studying medicine when a surveying job turned up and that...