Michael Faraday, the son of a blacksmith, was born in London in 1791. He was apprenticed to a bookbinder and this contact with books gave him a love of reading. After becoming interested in science, Faraday applied to Humphry Davy for a job. In 1813 Faraday became his temporary assistant and spent the next 18 months touring Europe while during Davy's investigations into his theory of volcanic action.