Brother Potamian

Born Michael Francis O'Reilly in Ireland and brought to New York as a child, he entered the Brothers of the Christian Schools at a young age and took the name Brother Potamian. He taught in Canada and the United States, and became especially known for his work in science education.

Brother Potamian served for many years at Manhattan College as a professor of physics and was widely respected for his knowledge of physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Contemporary accounts also describe him as president of St. Joseph's College in London, Ontario, before his later academic work in New York.

As an author, he is best remembered for books such as Makers of Electricity and The Letter of Petrus Peregrinus on the Magnet, A.D. 1269. His writing reflects a gift for explaining scientific discovery through the lives of the people behind it, making technical history feel human and readable.