The Public Lecture and Social Mobility

By Henry Petroski

Educating the working class was a radical concept that had its origins in discussions about mechanical devices that anyone could attend.

This Article From Issue

March-April 2023

Volume 111, Number 2

Page 90

DOI: 10.1511/2023.111.2.90

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Engineering as a profession was in its infancy in the late 18th century in Great Britain. Up to that point, working-class mechanics, who were accustomed to using their ingenuity and self-study to solve problems, effectively fulfilled the need for engineers. But as the Industrial Revolution led to the prolife ration of newly conceived mechanical devices and structures, as well as factories that ran on them, there was a pressing need to develop a formal system of education to train engineers to serve the growing British commercial economy.

Michael Faraday is shown here delivering a lecture during the 1855–1856 holiday season at the Royal Institution. Faraday designed his lectures to be publicly accessible even to children. This audience included Great Britain’s Prince Albert and one of his children, Prince Alfred.

**Smith Archive / Alamy Stock Photo**

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