30 Facts About Joseph Henry

Joseph Henry was an American scientist who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Joseph Henry was the secretary for the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, a precursor of the Smithsonian Institution.

Joseph Henry discovered mutual inductance independently of Michael Faraday, though Faraday was the first to make the discovery and publish his results.

Joseph Henry invented a precursor to the electric doorbell and electric relay.

Joseph Henry's parents were poor, and Henry's father died while he was still young.

Joseph Henry intended to go into medicine, but in 1824 he was appointed an assistant engineer for the survey of the State road being constructed between the Hudson River and Lake Erie.

Joseph Henry excelled academically, even often helping his teachers teach science.

Joseph Henry was the first to coil insulated wire tightly around an iron core in order to make a more powerful electromagnet, improving on William Sturgeon's electromagnet which used loosely coiled uninsulated wire.

Joseph Henry showed that, when making an electromagnet using just two electrodes attached to a battery, it is best to wind several coils of wire in parallel, but when using a set-up with multiple batteries, there should be only one single long coil.

From 1832 to 1846, Joseph Henry served as the first Chair of Natural History at the College of New Jersey, which is Princeton University.

Decades later, Joseph Henry wrote that he made "several thousand original investigations on electricity, magnetism, and electro-magnetism" while on the Princeton faculty.

Joseph Henry relied heavily on an African American research assistant, Sam Parker, in his laboratory and experiments.

In 1842, when Parker fell ill, Joseph Henry's experiments stopped completely until he recovered.

Joseph Henry was appointed the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1846, and served in this capacity until 1878.

In 1848, while Secretary, Joseph Henry worked in conjunction with Professor Stephen Alexander to determine the relative temperatures for different parts of the solar disk.

In late 1861 and early 1862, during the American Civil War, Joseph Henry oversaw a series of lectures by prominent abolitionists at the Smithsonian Institution.

Joseph Henry took a great interest in Lowe's endeavors, promoting him among some of the more prominent scientists and institutions of the day.

Lowe would not be able to attempt a transatlantic flight until late Spring of the 1861, so Joseph Henry convinced him to take his balloon to a point more West and fly the balloon back to the eastern seaboard, an exercise that would keep his investors interested.

Joseph Henry submitted a letter to US Secretary of War at the time Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania which carried Joseph Henry's endorsement:.

Joseph Henry showed an interest in seeing Bell's experimental apparatus, and Bell returned the following day.

Joseph Henry said Bell had "the germ of a great invention".

Joseph Henry advised Bell not to publish his ideas until he had perfected the invention.

On June 25,1876, Bell's experimental telephone, using a different design, was demonstrated at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, where Joseph Henry was one of the judges for electrical exhibits.

Joseph Henry was a member of the United States Lighthouse Board from 1852 until his death.

Joseph Henry was appointed chairman in 1871 and served in that position the remainder of his life.

Joseph Henry was the only civilian to serve as chairman.

The Joseph Henry, usually referred to as the Joe Henry, was launched in 1880 and was active until 1904.

In 1915, Joseph Henry was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx, New York.

The Joseph Henry Mountains were the last mountain range to be added to the map of the 48 contiguous US states.

The Joseph Henry Mountains had been so named by geologist Almon Thompson in his honor.