11/9/2022 0 Comments Quaqua indian![]() ![]() On other occasions, he trekked across the cold and war-torn northwestern frontier - first to complete assignments related to the French and Indian War, and then later to visit Montreal as a diplomat.īenjamin Franklin's civic and philanthropic achievements were profound.įranklin established Union Fire Company, the first fire company in America. During his many months at sea, he was nearly ship-wrecked. He visited England, France, Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the African island of Madeira.įranklin's travels attest to his physical hardiness. In addition to his inter-colonial trips, Franklin completed eight voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. He considered them to be a gift and heritage for mankind.īenjamin Franklin was a world traveler. He created the "armonica," a glass musical instrument with a ghostly, soothing sound, lauded by both Mozart and Beethoven.įranklin declined to take out patents on his inventions, even though he could have made a fortune off them. All of these inventions are still in use today.įranklin also produced the first American flexible urinary catheter, designed watertight bulkheads for ships, and built an odometer for his wagon. In his old age, he developed a "long arm" to reach books on high shelves. His Franklin stove was safer, more fuel-efficient, and less smoky than contemporary stoves. He created bifocals, lightening rods, rocking chairs, and swim fins. ![]() Franklin countered that his antagonists should forgo roofs, lest they defy God's will by staying dry in the face of His rain.īenjamin Franklin was an accomplished inventor. On one occasion, critics accused Franklin of defying God with his development of lightening rods. He studied uses of fertilizer and encouraged systematic study of agricultural techniques. Franklin formulated theories about human circulation and identified "dry bellyache" as lead poisoning. His other scientific interests included human bioscience and agriculture. He conducted evaporation experiments with a Cambridge chemist, and proposed the idea of Daylight Savings Time. ![]() He plotted storms, forecasted weather, chased whirlwinds, studied lightening, measured ocean currents, took ocean temperatures, and completed a detailed chart of the Gulf Stream. One of Franklin's favorite areas of inquiry was meteorology. He met with Italian scientist Alessandro Volta and discussed Franklin's storage of electricity in batteries. Franklin's eighty-six page book, Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at Philadelphia in America, was published in English, French, Italian, and German, making Franklin an international celebrity. He also developed the basic lexicon for electricity that we use today, including terms such as "positive," "negative," "charge," and "conductor." His electrical experiments nearly killed him (in 1753, Swedish scientist Georg Wilhelm Richmann died trying to replicate Franklin's lightening experiment). His most famous achievement was a kite experiment demonstrating that lightening was simply a form of electricity. We do so by candidly examining the different fields of endeavor where Franklin's actions were particularly noteworthy.įranklin was a renowned scientist and had a very inquisitive mind. Without endorsing or canonizing his every action or viewpoint, the Quaqua Society is pleased to remember the life of a man who shared so much practical wisdom with the world. After 84 years of self-education in the tradition of early America, he died as a world hero on April 17, 1790. Benjamin Franklin, perhaps more than any other single individual, epitomizes the impact that home-education has had upon the world and upon American culture.īorn on January 17, 1706, Franklin built a life characterized by stunning accomplishment. ![]()
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