JOSEPH HENRY: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - ARTE - 2025

Joseph Henry (1797-1878) was an American scientist known for the importance of his research on the use of electric current. From a very young age he was inclined towards this branch of science, influenced by his time at the Albany Institute.

His discoveries regarding electricity, magnetism and movement, founded the precursor bases of modern electric motors, also leaving important contributions for distance communication by allowing the development of inventions such as the telegraph.

From his time at the Smithsonian Institute in the North American capital, important discoveries for the study of the climate emerged, to the point of serving as a reference for the creation of the United States meteorological office.

Biography

Early years

Joseph Henry was born on December 17, 1797 (or 1799) in New York State; the question of his year of birth is still valid today. His father was William Henry and his mother Ann Alexander Henry, both from Scotland.

While still a teenager, his father passed away, which aggravated the precarious family economy and forced him to live for the rest of his youth with his grandmother in the town of Galway, New York. In fact, years later, the local school was named in his honor.

Before venturing into the world of science, the young Joseph Henry felt a deep attachment to the performing arts with the theater, even considering becoming a professional actor.

However, history had prepared a different destiny for him, his world would not be in the firmament of famous stars, but in the importance of his discoveries about magnetism.

Galvanic current

One of his first publications on magnetism took place in 1827 at the Albany Institute, where he lectured on the properties of galvanic current and the magnet. At that time, its first publication was considered a brief discussion that did not provide further knowledge about this physical principle.

In Sillima's Journal, in 1831, he made a second publication on the power of magnetism, as a continuation of his first publication, in which he intended to deepen on how to obtain greater magnetism with small batteries.

In that same year he created one of his first inventions, which used electromagnetism to generate movement (at that time only a swing). This is now regarded as the modern prototype of the electric current motor.

In this discovery, the effect of the magnet or as it is known electromagnet is of particular importance. At this time Joseph Henry did a variety of experiments with his electromagnets connecting coils in parallel or in series, even managing to lift 300 kilos.

His findings were in tune with two possible applications he thought of for his electromagnets: one the construction of a machine moved only by electromagnetism, and the second the transmission of a remote call.

Both ideas were later proven by their own invention or by the action of new scientists in the field of electromagnetism.

This is how he learned about the property of self-induction, almost at the same time as the English scientist Michael Faraday, who since then has been recognized as the discoverer of this phenomenon for being the first to publish the findings.

However, years later the International System of Units named the inductance unit as hernium, in honor of Joseph Henry, for his contributions in the discovery of this electromagnetic phenomenon.

The use of electric motors has meant a transcendental advance for the development of many industries, with the invention of robots that have accelerated production processes, lowering the production costs of companies.

Precursor of the first telegraph

But Joseph Henry also left many more useful contributions for today's world. In 1831 he contributed to the construction of the first electromagnetic telegraph, by converting his electromagnet into a more practical device that was operated with a remote campaign using an electric cable.

It is believed that the invention of their electromagnetic relay was the main foundation for later Samuel Morse and Sir Charles Wheatstone devising the first telegraph, one of the first forms of distance communication known to the modern world.

Thus, his discoveries have not only impacted on the more in-depth knowledge of magnetism and its contributions to movement, but currently have an important contribution to modern communications as they are known today.

Joseph Henry was one of the first to make use of the electromagnetic telegraph to transmit weather reports, indicating daily conditions on a map, a clear precursor to current weather predictions.

His life as a teacher

The then College of New Yersey (later known as Princeton University) appointed him professor of natural philosophy in 1832. This would be the site where he would contribute to the international community discoveries such as the transformer, with a clear influence on the study of radio waves.

Joseph Henry was the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC from the year 1846, where then, in 1848, he carried out experiments to observe sunspots, in comparison with surrounding regions of the sun.

The success of these works carried out in the Smithsonian, served as a precursor for the creation of what is then known as the United States Meteorological Office.

Legacy and death

Joseph Henry was a tireless student of electromagnetism, as a form of application in different inventions. He is considered one of the most important North American scientists, after Benjamin Franklin.

Their findings have had myriad applications in the modern world, they have accelerated the development of new and other inventions, and they remain as valid as when they were discovered.

He lived until the age of 81, when he passed away on May 13, 1878, leaving an incalculable legacy for the electromagnetic industry, communications and for the study of meteorology. His remains rest in the Oak Hill Cemetery in the city of Washington DC

References

1. Newcom, Simon. (1880). Memoir of Joseph Henry. National Academy of Sciences Recovered from: nasonline.org
2. Henry, Joseph. (1839). Contributions to Electricity and Magnetism. American Philosophical Society. Recovered from: princeton.edu
3. Roberts, Brian. Joseph Henry Developed Electromagnetic Induction. CIBSE Heritage Group. Recovered from: hevac-heritage.org
4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2019). Joseph Henry, American Physicist. Recovered from: britannica.com
5. Littman, Michael and E. Stern, Lucas. (2011). A new understanding of the first electromagnetic machine: Joseph Henry's vibrating motor. American Journal of Physics. Recovered from: researchgate.net