Tyndall was born in Ireland in 1820 to a poor family. He obtained only a few years of formal schooling. As a young man he worked several civil servant jobs, including surveyor and railway engineer, all the while attending lectures at the local universities whenever he could. He briefly served as a mathematics teacher at Queenswood College in 1847. It was not until his late twenties that Tyndall could become a full-time student, enrolling at the University of Marburg in Germany, where he studied chemistry under Robert Bunsen. Tyndall received his doctorate in 1851, and was made a member of the British Royal Society just a year later.

For many years Tyndall lectured in the Royal Institution's department of natural philosophy. During that time he developed a strong friendship with English physicist Michael Faraday. Following Faraday's death in 1867, Tyndall succeeded him as Superintendent of the Royal Institution. He retired his position...