5 important facts about benjamin franklin

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in , at age 17 he left Boston for Philadelphia where he became a well-known printer of newspapers. Ahead of his time, Franklin was looking to find a way to unite the disparate American colonies as early as the French and Indian War. Franklin argued for American liberty abroad and at home. He was appointed as the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress.

He was both a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a signer of the United States Constitution. Franklin spent a considerable amount of time abroad. He spent years representing the colony of Pennsylvania in England and then later representing the United States in France. He became universally admired and renowned and played an important role in securing a French alliance during the Revolutionary War.

He also helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that officially ended the Revolutionary War. Library of Congress Fact 5: Franklin was a renaissance man. His accomplishments extended well beyond helping to secure American independence and forming the American government. Franklin coined the terms positive and negative to refer to electric charges.

He also discovered charge conservation, a principle stating that the total electric charge in an isolated system never changes. The iconic image of Franklin flying a kite during a storm is an experiment he devised to prove that lightning is electricity. It was a success. Franklin extracted sparks from a cloud using a conductive wire and a wet string.

Franklin observed that conductors with sharp points discharged silently across a greater distance than those with smooth ends. He invented the lightning rod to protect buildings from dangerous strikes, conducting experiments on his own house. In , Benjamin Franklin invented a metal-lined fireplace with a rear hollow baffle.

5 important facts about benjamin franklin

The design produced more heat with less smoke compared to regular models. The Franklin stove is also called the circulating stove and the Pennsylvania fireplace. Bifocal eyeglasses have two areas of different magnification. Franklin invented bifocals by sawing his lenses in half. It helped him read lips at court — the only way he could understand French speakers.

Benjamin Franklin wanted to improve the design of the urinary catheter after seeing his brother go through painful stone removal. With the help of a silversmith, he replaced the long rigid metal tube with flexible hinged segments for ease of use. Franklin saw English musicians make sweet melodies by passing their fingers around water-filled glasses.

In , he designed a musical instrument called the glass harmonica to replicate the music more conveniently. It is his personal favorite among all his inventions. As deputy postmaster, Franklin investigated why British packet ships were so slow. The culprit: a strong current he named the Gulf Stream. He charted it to help in navigation and cut sailing time by two weeks.

In the s, Franklin started observing population growth and found that America had the highest rate among all countries. Doubling every 20 years, he predicted it would surpass England in a century. Benjamin Franklin grew up in a Puritan household. Although he felt organized religion was necessary to maintain harmony among men, he rarely attended religious services in adulthood.

He called himself a deist and a Christian. It emphasized the importance of forming associations that benefit society, influencing his choices throughout life. Puritans rejected the hierarchy that divided society into the king, the aristocracy, and the commoners. They preached that all men are equal. Franklin weaved this notion of an egalitarian democracy into American culture.

Benjamin Franklin respected and promoted all churches. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States. Your Profile. Email Updates. Advice from the Founding Fathers: Benjamin Franklin. Ben Franklin's Pen Name. Read more. Surprisingly little. Watch now. Ben Franklin Sparks Electricity. Ben Franklin the Ladies' Man.

Sign Up. Among his inventions are: the flexible urinary catheter, swim fins, library chair, extension arm, Philadelphia or Franklin stove, lightning rod, bifocals and glass armonica. He was the first person to chart the Gulf Stream and to propose an explanation of storm movement in the northern hemisphere. He proposed that storms can move in opposite direction from the wind.

In Franklin and the Junto club created Philadelphia Contributionship to insure property against fire. In Franklin founded the first commercial franchise system in the Americas by creating co-partnerships. He had two female franchisees. During his printing experience he observed in that prolonged exposure to lead would cause sickness to those who handled lead printing molds.

It was the first time that this concept was used.