Joseph Henry (1797–1878) was America’s most prominent scientist of the 19th century. Though largely self-trained as a physicist, he demonstrated an extremely powerful electromagnet, experimented with the electrical telegraph, and built one of the first electric motors. Most importantly, he discovered (independently of England’s Michael Faraday) the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction—the generation of an electric current by magnetism. Henry was also the leader of America’s most important scientific institutions, serving as the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1846–1878), president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1849–1850), and president of the National Academy of Sciences (1868–1878). This video is featured in the "Men of Progress" section of the American Enterprise exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. (The video does not include an audio track). Teachers, parents, educators! Check out our resources to use these videos in the classroom here: https://historyexplorer.si.edu/resource/men-progress-video-series Section link: americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise-exhibition/videos/men-progress Exhibition link: americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise