Joseph HenryDied 13 May 1878 at age 80 (born 17 Dec 1797). American physicist who was one of the notable American scientists after Benjamin Franklin. As an adolescent, Henry was interested in the theater, but after readinga book of lectures on science, his life forever turned to that pursuit. He assisted Samuel F.B. Morse in the development of the telegraph. Independently of Michael Faraday, Henry investigated electricity and magnetism, and discovered the phenomenon of self-induction. (His name was given to the SI unit for inductance, the henry, H). He was the first Secretary (director) of the Smithsonian Institution (1846-1878), where he initiatedthe foundation of a national weather service. Henry insisted that basic research was of fundamental importance, not a luxury.« |