Michael Faraday was born into a poor family in Newington Butts, near London. His father, James Faraday, was a blacksmith, and his mother, Margaret Hastwell, provided unwavering support and religious guidance.

Due to the family's poverty, Faraday received only a basic education, primarily reading, writing, and arithmetic. This lack of formal schooling, however, fostered his self-directed learning and independent thinking.

At the age of 13, Faraday became an errand boy for a local bookseller and bookbinder, George Riebau. This position proved pivotal, granting him access to books and the opportunity to read widely on a variety of subjects.

Faraday voraciously read books on science, particularly 'Conversations on Chemistry' by Jane Marcet, which sparked his deep interest in chemistry and experimentation. He diligently performed experiments described in the book, using homemade equipment.

A customer at the bookbinder's, Mr. Dance, recognized Faraday's intellectual potential and provided him with tickets to attend a series of lectures by the renowned chemist Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution. Faraday meticulously took notes and bound them into a book, which he presented to Davy.