Benjamin Franklin

January 17, 1706 April 17, 1790

AUTHOR SATIRIST PRINTER POLITICAL THEORIST POLITICIAN SCIENTIST INVENTOR CIVIC ACTIVIST STATESMAN DIPLOMAT

HE WAS AN IMPORTANT SCIENTIST IN THE ENLIGHTENMENT ELECTRICITY Lighting rod Bifocals The Franklin stove A carriage odometer The glass ”armonica” STARTED WITH A LIGHTNING STRIKING THROUGH HIS KITE TO A METAL KEY. HE BASICALLY DISCOVERED ELECRICITY.

“In the last decade of his life, Benjamin Franklin served as a member of the Constitutional Convention and was elected president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. Historians have called him the quintessential American because of his creative pragmatism, scientific innovation, and democratic spirit”

Who was Ben Franklin? If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing. –Ben Franklin Franklin was a man indeed worth writing about. He is considered a founding father of America. He also was a great inventor, scientist, and politician among other things.

Franklin Quick Facts Ben Franklin was born 1706 He died in 1790 He died an American He was the 15th of 17 children

Early Life Ben was born January 17, 1706 to Abiah Folger, and Josiah Franklin. He was the 8 th child in his parents marriage. His father sent him to Grammar School to enter the clergy. Benjamin was taken out of school to work under his father’s trade. He would constantly read and write to improve his intelligence.

Printing When Benjamin was 12 he became involved in the printing business. At the age of 15, his brother started his own newspaper, the New England Courant. He worked as his brothers apprentice. In 1729, Benjamin bought a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.

Silence Dogood While working for his older brother, Ben wrote letters under the name Silence Dogood. The letters were published in his brothers newspaper. Some topics of these letters were women’s rights, and religion. The letters were a big impact on the community.

Life In Europe Went to England in Became a master printer. Astonished people with his exquisite writing.

Inventions Franklin Stove Swim Fins Odometer Bifocals Lightning Rod/ conductor Glass Armonica

The Poor Richard’s Almanac This was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders" for this purpose. The publication appeared continually from 1732 to This pamphlet was a best seller, selling about 10,000 copies per year! Almanacks were very popular books in colonial America, offering a mixture of seasonal weather forecasts, practical household hints, puzzles, and other amusements. Poor Richard's Almanack was also popular for its extensive use of wordplay.

Bifocals  A lot of people in the world wear glasses. This concept was invented by Ben Franklin. He wanted to improve his vision, and decided to do research. Eventually he figured out that convex lenses could make something bigger.

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin’s Benjamin’s electricity discoveries and theories have contributed a lot to the history of physics. Franklin invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass armonica.

Theory on Electricity Electricity is a form of energy that results from the flow of charged particles. Benjamin Franklin was the first to label electricity under different pressures as positive and negative respectively. Franklin was also the first one who discovered the principle of conservation of charge. In physics, charge conservation is the principle that electric charge can neither be created nor destroyed. The net quantity of electric charge, the amount of positive charge minus the amount of negative charge in the universe, is always conserved. The first written statement of the principle was by American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin in 1747.

Benjamin conducted his famous kite experiment to prove that lightning was static electricity.

His famous kite experiment Benjamin tied an iron key to the end of a silk string and inserted a thin metal wire that was tied to the key to a Leyden jar. When the thunder storm cloud passed over Benjamin's kite, the negative charges in the cloud in the form of lightning passed onto his kite and down into the Leyden jar. Benjamin then confirmed that lighting was static electricity.

Concept of Cooling Benjamin observed that he stayed cooler in a wet shirt in a breeze than a dry one Benjamin observed that he stayed cooler in a wet shirt in a breeze than a dry one.

Founding Father Signed all four documents that helped construct the birth of America. Elected on the Continental Congress. Ben stands alone as the only person to have signed all four of the documents which helped to create the United States: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance, Amity, and Commerce with France (1778), the Treaty of Peace between England, France, and the United States (1782), and the Constitution (1787). He actually helped to write parts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. No other individual was more involved in the birth of our nation

Death Benjamin Franklin died April 17, Around 20,000 people attended his funeral. He was buried beside his wife, Deborah.