R. Kipling & M. Faraday
of chlorine, invented an early form of the bunsen burner and the system of oxidation numbers,
and popularized terminology such as anode, cathode, electrode, and ion. Although Faraday
received little formal education and knew little of higher mathematics, such as calculus, he was
one of the most influential scientists in history. Some historians of science refer to him as the best
experimentalist in the history of science. Faraday was the first and foremost Fullerian Professor of
Chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, a position to which he was appointed for life.
Faraday was highly religious; he was a member of the Sandemanian Church, a Christian sect
founded in 1730 which demanded total faith and commitment. Biographers have noted that "a
strong sense of the unity of God and nature pervaded Faraday's life and work."
In June 1832, the University of Oxford granted Faraday a Doctor of Civil Law degree (honorary).