A 300 Page Notebook Launched Michael Faraday’s Scientific Career

Sir Humphry Davy had a significant impact on science. He found five new elements in the year 1808 alone, including calcium and boron. Davy's lectures at the Royal Institution drew large numbers on a regular basis.

Faraday, then twenty years old, attended four of these demonstrations in 1812 after receiving tickets from a customer. Faraday scribbled meticulous notes as Davy talked, which he later collated and bound into a small book. Davy received Faraday's 300-page transcript. The seasoned scientist was so impressed that he employed him as a lab assistant. Davy was asked later in life to name the most important discovery he'd ever made. "Michael Faraday", Davy replied.

Regardless, tensions would arise between mentor and protégé. As Faraday's achievements surpassed his own, Davy accused the younger man of plagiarizing another scientist's work (a story that was later debunked) and attempted to prevent his membership to the Royal Society.