How did Benjamin Franklin's inventions benefit people for years to come?
A Shocking Thing to Do!
By Pat Thomas
Appleseeds, December 2004
One thing everybody said about Ben Franklin was that you never knew what
he might do next. He was so curious. He poked his nose into one thing after
another. He asked unusual questions. And he did unusual things to find the
answers.
As a boy, Ben loved to swim. He also liked to fly kites. One day, he
wondered what would happen if he did both at once. He felt the wind tug his
kite and thought it might pull him through the water. At the edge of a pond,
he stripped off his clothes and jumped in. Holding the kite string, he floated
on his back. Off Ben went, sailing across the pond. A friend raced to the
other side with his clothes. How they must have whooped and laughed at
that adventure.
Ben thought he might swim faster if he used paddles. He cut two oval pieces
of wood and started swimming with them strapped onto his hands. Sure
enough, it worked. He made paddles for his feet too, but they dragged him
down. The wood was too stiff and heavy. He needed
something flexible that would move with his feet. About 200 years later,
inventors used rubber--a flexible material--to make flippers for navy divers.
Ben had the right idea all along.
When Ben grew up, he kept asking questions and experimenting. He
invented a new kind of wood stove that was better at heating homes.
The governor of Pennsylvania offered to give Ben a patent on his
invention. The patent would have made Ben a rich man. But Ben refused to
patent any of his inventions. He wanted everyone to benefit from his work.
Ben invented and discovered many different kinds of things. To reach books
high up on library shelves, Ben made a long-arm gripper--an invention that
is still used today. To help himself see better, he combined two different
strengths of eyeglass lenses in one pair of frames. Thanks to this invention,
millions of people today can see better with bifocal glasses. Ben made a
musical instrument out of glass, a better streetlight, an anchor that helped
ships stay afloat in storms, an improved clock, and lots more. He
experimented with seeds and fertilizer to help farmers. He studied
ocean currents to help ships find faster routes across the Atlantic.
Ben Franklin's most famous experiments were with electricity. He invented
new kinds of electrical equipment, including the first battery. He even
created new words to describe his inventions: conductor, battery, and
electrical shock. Ben got nasty shocks a few times himself.
Ben felt sure that lightning and electricity were the same. Through his
experiments, he had discovered that a sharp point could attract electricity
through lightning. He thought that if he could get a point high into the air,
such as the tip of a building, it might attract lightning, too. So he made a
kite out of a silk handkerchief and two sticks.
He fastened a string to the kite and tied a metal key onto the string so that
he could test for electricity. In rain and lightning, Franklin and his son
William sent the kite soaring into a dark thundercloud. At first, nothing
happened. They were almost ready to give up, when Ben noticed loose
threads standing away from the string. The threads looked as though they
were charged with electricity. So Franklin touched the key, and an electrical
spark flew from his knuckle.
Ben used this discovery to invent the lightning rod, which is used to
protect a house during storms. When lighting strikes this metal pole, the
electricity travels through the pole into a wire, then safely down into the
ground.
Although Ben Franklin is remembered as a Founding Father of our nation,
he was also one of the most respected scientists of his day. His "shocking"
discoveries about electricity and lightning were the first in the world. His
"electrical" curiosity made life better for the people of his time--and for us
today.
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CHART:
Benjamin Franklin’s inventions that benefited people
past and present:
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How did Benjamin Franklin's inventions benefit people for years to come?
Begin your essay here:
Use this for your first sentence:
Benjamin Franklin’s inventions have benefited people both in the past and today.