Biography of Benjamin Franklin

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The Biography of Benjamin Franklin

By Zia Kara

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Benjamin Franklin lived a busy and industrious life spanning 84 years.

1706-171817181730 - 1745 1728-17481747 - 17521757 - 17901790

Index

Birth and Childhood

Apprenticeship

Inventions

Vocation

Family

References

Political Life

Old Age and Death

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the fifteenth child of seventeen children and also the youngest boy. Franklin only had two years of school but continued to educate himself by reading.

Birth and Childhood

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A picture of Benjamin Franklin

Apprenticeship

When Franklin was 12 became a printing apprentice to his brother James, a printer. His brother owned the New England Courant. As James did not allow Franklin to write for the newspaper, Franklin wrote letters to the paper as a middle-aged woman named ''Silence Dogood''. At 17 years old, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as his brother found out that he was the one who was writing the letters.

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Franklin as an apprentice.

Family

Wife: Deborah Read Rogers(1708-1774)

Son: William Franklin(1731-1813)

Son: Francis Folger Franklin(1732-1736)

Daughter : Sarah Franklin Bache(1743-1808)

In 1730, Franklin married Deborah Read Rogers. Then a year later (1731), Franklin's son William Franklin was born. Francis Folger Franklin, was born a year later. In 1736, at the age of four, Francis died from smallpox. Then in 1743, his daughter Sarah Franklin Bache was born.

Family

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Inventions

Inventions contributing to Earth Science

Bifocal Glasses

Extension Arm

Franklin Stove

Library Chair

Lightning Rod

Swim Fins

Odometer

Institutions

New Words

Services

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Flexible Urinary Catheter

Glass Armonica

Three-Wheel Clock

Chart of the Gulf Stream

Daylight Savings Time

Bifocal Glasses

In 1784, Franklin created bifocal glasses as he was 78 and had trouble seeing up-close and at a distance. He was tired of switching between both pairs of glasses so he created a way so that both types of lenses will fit into one frame. The lens for distance was placed at the top and the lens to see up-close was placed at the bottom. That is how he created the bifocal glasses.

Bifocal Glasses

A diagram of Bifocal glasses

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Extension Arm

As Franklin loved to read, and founded the Library company. He had trouble reaching the books on the top shelf so he created the extension arm. This invention had two fingers that were attached to a long piece of wood or pipe. To open and close the fingers you would pull on a cord.

Pictures of similar modern extension arm

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Benjamin designed a flexible tube, similar to the urinary catheters today, when his older brother John, was suffering from bladder stones.He gave the design to local silversmith to make and then sent it to his brother to try in Boston. At the time, doctors only used rigid catheters which would obviously be uncomfortable.


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Glass Armonica

The playing of music on upright wine goblets with tones made by rubbing fingers around the lip of the glasses filled with different amount was a popular in early 18th century England. Franklin, with the help of Charles James, a glassblower built the mechanized version. It has its premiere in 1762 played by Marianne Davies.

Glass Armonica

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Franklin and Marshall College

Institutions

The University of Pennsylvania

American Philosophical Society

Pennsylvania Hospital


Benjamin Franklin Statue at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania


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Library Chair

Franklin wanted to improve his library chair so that it could do many things than just a chair. He attached a fan that was operated by a foot pedal, and he created a reversible seat that allowed the chair to be used as a small step ladder or stepping stool. Similar chairs are used today.

Pictures of Modern Library Chairs

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Odometer

As Franklin was a postmaster, he wanted to provide fast and efficient service. He wanted to measure the distance between points to create the fastest route, so he created an odometer that attached to his carriage. By counting the rotation of the wheels, it calculated the distance that the carriage traveled.

Pictures of Odometers

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Street Lighting

Services

Insurance

Street lighting

Paving

Post offices

Fire company

Insurance

Library Company

Library Company

Post Office

Street Lighting

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Street Lighting

Three-Wheel Clock

Franklin invented a simpler, more economical clock for the early settlers. It was a curious clock a with a four hour dial with three wheels and three pinions. Clocks were only afforded by the wealthy and a simple clock with fewer parts would be cheaper to make.

Three-Wheel Clock

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Street Lighting

Chart of Gulf Stream

Franklin wondered why journeys easter were faster than return trips on his voyages across the Atlantic ocean (or, as it was known then, the Western Ocean) between the Colonies and Europe. His curiosity led him to be the first to map the Gulf Stream. He made eight voyages.

Chart of Gulf Stream

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Street Lighting

Daylight Savings Time

Franklin is often given credit for inventing Daylight Saving Time. He wrote a very funny letter recommending taxing the good people of France from wasting candles and the ringing of bells and canons to force people up every morning to use as much available sunlight as possible instead of sleeping in. William Willet of London actually invented Daylight Savings Time.

Franklin's Letter

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Franklin Stove

Franklin wanted to develop a fireplace that would use less wood and produce more heat. He created a new stove that he claimed that it would be more efficient and called it the ''Pennsylvania Fireplace''. These stoves did not work very well. Another inventor modified Franklin stove so that it would maximize efficiency and named it ''Franklin Stove''.

Franklin Stoves

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Lightning Rod

Before Franklin's invention of the lightning rod, lots of buildings when they had been struck by lightning, caught on fire and burnt them down. He developed the lighting rod so that there would be as many building that would get burnt. A metal rod was attached to the highest point of the house or building. A metal wire or cable is connected to the bottom of the metal rod. The other end of the cable is buried in the ground at a distance of 10 feet or more.

Metal rods from lightning rods

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New Words

When Franklin was in the middle of studying electricity, he found that English did not have words to explain the wonder that he had just discovered. He created many words that are still used today. They are:

battery

charge

condenser

conductor

plus

minus

positively

negatively

armature

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Swim Fins

As Franklin loved to swim, he wanted to increase his speed. So he invented swim fins that he could wear on his hands. The fins were shaped like lily pads and helped the swimmer swim faster with each stroke.

Modern Flippers; Similar to Franklin Swim Fins

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1732-1758

1737

1742

1747

1748

1729

1728

Vocation

1728: Franklin opens his own printing office in Philadelphia

1729: Becomes the sole owner and publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette.

1732-1758: Franklin publishes Poor Richard's Almanack annually.

1742: Suggest the idea for the University of Pennsylvania.

1737: Appointed Postmaster of Philadelphia.

1747: Franklin organizes the first Militia

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Political Life

1736 - 1751 Clerk, Pennsylvania Assembly

1751 - 1764 Represented Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Assembly

1754 Represented Pennsylvania at the Albany Congress

1757 - 1762 Political agent of the Pennsylvania Assembly, London, England

1766 Reappointed as agent for Pennsylvania, London, England

1775 Left London, England, for Massachusetts: Elected member of the Second Continental Congress Named postmaster general

1776 Served on committee to draft the Declaration of Independence

Went to France as one of three American commissioners to negotiate a treaty

1778 Negotiated treaties of commerce and defense with France Appointed sole plenipotentiary in France

1781 Appointed with John Jay and John Adams to negotiate a peace with Great Britain

1783 Signed Treaty of Paris with Great Britain and asked Congress for his recall

1785 - 1788 President, Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania

1787 Signed memorial to Congress as last official act as president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery1790

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Old Age and Death

At the age of 84, Franklin died peacefully in his sleep, in Philadelphia, on April 17, 1790. 20,000 people came to his funeral. When he died, America lost an amazing person.

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References

http://fi.edu/franklin/timeline/timeline.htmlhttp://americanhistory.about.com/od/colonialamerica/p/bio_franklin.htmhttp://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventors/ss/Franklin_invent_4.htmhttp://www.ehow.com/list_6875821_list-franklin_s-inventions.html

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Education

Biography of Benjamin Franklin