Ben Franklin

American Extraordinaire

Scientist and InventorLightening Rods• Well before the famous kite

experiment, Franklin had speculated that lightning was electricity. His revolutionary idea was to conduct that electricity safely into the ground to save buildings from fires. The simple metal rod connected to a wire made Franklin famous throughout Europe and the colonies

Scientist and Inventor

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Starting with a simple glass tube that collected static charge when rubbed, above, and later using a hand-cranked machine built for the same purpose, Franklin meticulously experimented on the behavior of electricity. Perhaps his most important discovery was that electrical phenomena involve equal amounts of opposite charges. He used the terms positive and negative to describe them.

Scientist and Inventor

• THE BATTERY

Franklin also discovered the difference between conductors and insulators of electricity. He used a device called a Leyden jar to hold and discharge electricity even using one to kill a turkey for a feast. Wiring together charged plates, and later jars, he created and named the first electrical battery

Practical Improvements

• BIFOCALS

Tired of changing eyeglasses to see near and far, Franklin simply combined two pairs into one. He praised his device as allowing him to see both his dinner and who was speaking to him across the table

Practical Improvements

• THE LIBRARY COMPANY

Books were scarce in 1730s Philadelphia, so Franklin founded America's first subscription library, where members paid dues for the privilege of borrowing books. The organization survives to this day

Practical Improvements

• ODOMETER

As postmaster of the colonies, Franklin used this device to count the revolutions of wagon wheels to calculate the most efficient mail routes

Practical ImprovementsTHE PENNSYLVANIAN FIREPLACE

Franklin had nothing to do with the potbellied stove known by his name today. Rather, his invention was a complicated—and ultimately unsuccessful—device intended to force heat into a room while carrying smoke away. But installing the stove meant rebuilding an entire fireplace, and the device apparently couldn't generate enough air flow to force the smoke out. Nevertheless, Franklin's invention was an important stepping-stone in the development of more efficient home heating

Amusements

ARMONICA

Inspired by a man who played melodies by rubbing his wet fingers around the rims of wine glasses, Franklin built a machine to mimic the process. The player spun glass bowls—different sizes for each note—on a spindle and pressed wetted fingers to the glass to play tunes

The Writer

During the eighteenth century, it was common for writers and journalists to use pseudonyms, or false names, when they created newspaper articles and letters to the editor. Franklin used this convention extensively throughout his life, sometimes to express an idea that might have been considered slanderous or even illegal by the authorities; other times to present two sides of an issue, much like the point-counterpoint style of journalism used today.