One of the leading figures of early American history, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat. Born into a Boston family of modest means, Franklin had little formal education. He went on to start a successful printing business in Philadelphia and grew wealthy. Franklin was deeply active in public affairs in his adopted city, where he helped launch a lending library, hospital and college and garnered acclaim for his experiments with electricity, among other projects. But mostly, he was a genius inventor. From a musician to a world traveler, he was one of the most famous people at that time. From a library chair with stairs to opening a free academy, he was one of the most intelligent people of all time.
As a multi-job man, Franklin was also an inventor, making things that people in his time didn’t even know about. He set out to invent new things that people had not known before. He loved to read books so he invented a library chair with stairs to go up and down to get books from the high and low shelves. In the olden times, it was very cold in the winter so people had to use fireplaces. But fireplaces aren’t that hot so Franklin invented a stove that was warm enough for cold winter. Also, he wanted to swim and dive, so he made swim paddles for his hands and swim fins for his feet. But the wood was heavy, so he almost drowned. That made him his second invention, holding onto a kite so he could travel across a pond. Even though he got splashed all the way, Franklin still kept right on inventing better ways to do things for the rest of his life. Ben Franklin made an odometer that could tell how far he’d traveled, and also made the first clock with a second hand. He also thought up daylight saving time, and bifocals for older folks who can’t see well. Also, lots of people liked his glass armonica, which makes a beautiful sound. His most famous invention is the lightning rod, which not only helped turn down lightning to the ground but also saved a lot of lives. Lots of Franklin’s inventions amazed people, and these are new things that people didn’t know about in Franklin’s time. He invented a lot of new things that really help change the world.
Even though Franklin was living in the olden times, he still had some ideas that only now we think of. Lots of new things invented are based on his ideas, and he helped a lot by donating to our world. He thought up new ideas that were advanced, and most of them we even know and use today. Franklin proved that exercise and weightlifting makes a man fit. He also says that breathing fresh air and drinking lots of water is good for a person. He was the guy who said: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Oranges, limes and grapefruit make healthy gums and skin, he said. That was the reason why sailors ate so many limes they became known as limeys. Franklin also found out that the Atlantic Ocean made a fast route to travel from Europe and America. He thought of the first weather forecast, and told people about the weather. An old trick he liked to show people was to put oil in a bamboo walking stick, and when it was dripped into a furious wave, the sea became suddenly calm. This is popular today, so he must have thought far into the future. Franklin made a lot of cool new advanced ideas for people.
Franklin was also a man of great achievements, and able to do a lot of things. He did many things that normal citizens can’t do, so he was a very divine man. For example, he could argue better, swim faster, and write funnier stories than anyone in America. He was also a musician, playing the guitar, harp, and viola da gamba, a cello-like stringed instrument. He was a printer, a cartoonist and a world traveler. He traveled a lot over the world, and mostly to his hometown, England. He was a newspaper owner, a shopkeeper, a soldier, and a politician. He was even one of the people who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Franklin also started the first lending library, not mentioning that he had owned the post office which sent mail straight into people’s houses. He wrote almanacs that had hilarious advice about life, when to plant crops, when an eclipse might happen, and when tides will be high and low. He also started a hospital, a free academy, and a fire department. That is very much for just one man to do! That was why Franklin is a man of great knowledge, a genius, with so many things that he is able to do.
In conclusion, Franklin was a great man who had great leadership skills, and a genius too. He invented many things. He also had ideas that depend on another idea, to make an advanced idea. To steal lightning, he used a ribbon, a key, and a kite. He tied both two to the kite, and made a handmade lightning trap. Now, it has changed into what we know as a lightning rod, often put on top of high buildings to encourage lightning to come and get thrown to the ground. Franklin also had a lot of achievements. He did many things that people at that time were not able to do. He thought up daylight saving time, and invented bifocals so older people could see without changing glasses. Ben Franklin really is a man of great smartness, and learning about history figures help us know more about our world.
Comments