Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a scientist, inventor, diplomat, printer, statesman, philosopher, musician, economist, botanist, philanthropist, business man, organizer, founding father, postmaster general, family man, writer, scholar, journalist, governor, firefighter and world traveler. I think he was most famous for his inventions. He discovered electricity and invented many things. He invented the Franklin Stove, Pigeon Holes (for the post office), Bifocals, the Armonica (musical instrument), Swim Fins, the Odometer, a Rocking Chair that has a fan on it, a Stepladder/Chair, a mechanical hand to reach high things, a Desk with a chair attached to it, and the lightning rod. Let's take a peek inside some of his inventions.

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706. He liked to help people. To help people he would invent things and not patent them so all people could profit from the invention. One of the inventions he didn't patent was the Franklin Stove. Let's talk about that one now.

In the 1700's people usually heated their houses with fireplaces. Benjamin made a new kind of stove and he called it the Franklin Stove. It used less wood, was more efficient, and heated the house two times hotter than fireplaces.

Ben's glasses were out of focus. He decided to make an invention for glasses that were long distance and short distance. Benjamin took a lens from a long distance pair of glasses and put it in a frame. He did the same thing again except with a lens from short distance glasses. Thus, he invented Bifocals.

The last invention I will talk about is the lightning rod. Benjamin thought he should make an invention that made it so our houses had less of a chance of catching fire from lightning. He put a pointy metal rod on his roof and attached it to a wire. He then attached the wire to a bell and then to the ground so the electricity would go straight to the ground. On a stormy night lightning struck the house and the bell started ringing and his house hadn't caught fire. It had worked! That's how the lightning rod was invented.

Benjamin Franklin is my hero because he didn't patent his inventions. He was very generous. He made inventions that helped people with life like the lightning rod. Someday I wish I could help people like that.

If you are interested in Benjamin Franklin, you can go to The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial or The Franklin Institute Science Museum, both in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.