Thursday, October 9, 2014
Benjamin Franklin's Big Ideas
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most prolific inventors in American history. Write a description of one of Franklin's important inventions, ideas, or accomplishments. Explain how he developed this idea and why it was important or useful. Be sure to include your works cited in MLA format. Please comment on each other's responses as well.
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One of Benjamin Franklin's inventions was the bifocals. Bifocals are eyeglasses with an upper and a lower half, the upper was for distance, and the lower was for reading. Bifocals are commonly prescribed to people with presbyopia,farsightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the lens of the eye, occurring typically in middle and old age, in which Franklin suffered. Franklin wrote, in August 1784 to his friend George Whatley, that he was, "happy in the invention of double spectacles, which serving for distant objects as well as near ones, make my eyes as useful to me as ever they were." These eyeglasses are still used today. this invention is one of the many that Benjamin franklin has thought of and created.
ReplyDeleteCite:
"Benjamin Franklin's Inventions." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
Benjamin Franklin invented many things. One of his inventions was the was the first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital. The Pennsylvania hospital was founded in 1751 by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin. Franklin started a petition for the hospital and 33 people signed the petition. He brought the petition to the Pennsylvania assembly. They then had a bill for the hospital. For the project of the hospital to be carried out, Franklin needed to raise two-thousand pounds. This was done and a hospital was established. This idea was very useful because it helped make the ill better. It was important because this idea stopped people from dying. This had helped much of the population. This is still used today and is very well-used. It had saved many people's’ lives throughout history.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
"Pennsylvania Hospital History: Stories - Nation's First Hospital."Pennsylvania Hospital History: Stories - Nation's First Hospital. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2014.
"A List of Ben Franklin's Inventions, Discoveries." The Morning Call. N.p., 31 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Oct. 2014.
Benjamin Franklin was a successful printer in Philadelphia, who was greatly interested in science, mathematics, and philosophy. Besides inventing many useful devices like the lightning rod and bifocal eyeglasses, he additionally contributed his time to community projects, like the the first lending library in the colony. One fascinating invention that is important to us today is the lightning rod. He learned about electricity in his kite experiment.
ReplyDeleteThe kite experiment was one of the many investigations that Franklin performed. In this experiment, he attached a key to a kite during a lightning storm. He discovered that electricity flows like fire, which is why he called it electric fire. This experiment helped the development of batteries and conductors.
Franklin used the knowledge he gained from this experiment to develop the lightning rod. This invention was simply a rod of metal that was attached to the top of the building, and connected to the ground via a wire. The electric charge strikes the rod, and is conducted into the ground. This protected people and houses from electrocution. Franklin’s invention was literally a life-saver.
Franklin was a great inventor. He invented many inventions that define society today. People can’t live without a stove or glasses. These are some of his inventions. But, I think his greatest invention was the lightning rod as it helped save the most important thing of the people: themselves.
Works Cited:
"Benjamin Franklin's Inventions." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. .
Benjamin Franklin was a very famous inventor well know for his "popular" inventions like as Rizq mentioned above, the lightning rod, or as Heba mentioned, bifocals. But some things we don't think of when we hear Ben Franklin's name is political cartoons and I don't mean the ones that are used now for entertainment. Ben Franklin's cartoons had real purpose to them, they motivated the Americans to fight back against Britain. His most famous cartoon was called, "Join or Die", which was published in The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9th, 1754. According to the Library of Congress, "Benjamin Franklin's warning to the British colonies in America "join or die" exhorting them to unite against the French and the Natives, shows a segmented snake." This cartoon was for British colonists to unite and defeat the French and Natives for control over the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. During the American Revolution, the comic was used to persuade colonists to fight back. The difference between the use of "Join or Die" in 1754 and 1765 is that Franklin had designed it to unite the colonies for control of the Native's relations and defense against France, but in 1765 American colonists used it to urge colonial unity against the British. Also during this time the phrase "join, or die" changed to "unite, or die," in some states such as New York and Pennsylvania. Other political comics also appeared in newspapers such as The Massachusetts Spy in which Paul Revere (The British Are Coming!) altered it a little. Ben Franklin has been known for many things that come to our head the second we say Franklin, but some, like the political cartoon, are not that well known even though they should be.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/firsts/cartoon/
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume5/november06/primsource.cfm
Cite your works cited in MLA format
DeleteBenjamin Franklin made many inventions and discoveries. One of his innovations in the mid-to late 1700’s was the mapping of the Gulf Stream. Franklin made eight voyages across the Atlantic Ocean between the Europe and the Colonies. He wondered why journeys toward Europe were quicker than returning voyages. His curiosity led him to be the first to map the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream, along with the North Atlantic Drift, is the ocean current that originates from the Gulf of Mexico and exits from the Strait of Florida. Ben began referring to the Gulf Stream as the “river in the ocean.” The “river of the ocean” soon became the way to speed up the mail delivery from America to Europe as well as to improve other commercial shipping. This became very important and a successful way for traveling. This invention like many others had and still has a lot of purpose and use in the world.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
"Dive and Discover : History of Oceanography." Dive and Discover : History of Oceanography. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
When you say Benjamin Franklin, most people will think of the lightning rod or even the public library. These are some of Franklin’s well-known inventions. But he had a very creative mind that was capable of much more. One of Ben Franklin’s inventions was swimming fins. As a child, and probably also as he was an adult, Franklin loved the water. One of the things he dreamed about when he grew up was a sailor. When he was a child, he taught himself how to swim and became a strong, vigorous swimmer. However, Franklin also wanted to be faster. The inventor that he was, even at the age of 11, he invented “fins” that he wore on his hands and that helped increase how fast he could swim. Franklin himself said, “When a youth, I made two oval pallets, each about ten inches long, and six broad, with a hole for the thumb, in order to retain it fast in the palm of my hand. They much resembled a painter's pallets.” The fins were shaped like a lily pad and gave the swimmer more speed with each stroke. Nowadays, we still use Franklin’s invention, except a little bit more modified. Many swimmers use flippers on their feet. Franklin was capable of much more than a few inventions. Without Franklin, life would definitely be much harder!
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
1. "Benjamin Franklin's Inventions." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
2. PBS. PBS Ben Franklin Inventions, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.
Has lots of information. The introduction is strong and clear and adding the quote is very creative and interesting. Great paragraph.
DeleteBack in colonial America, fireplaces were the main source of heat. However, they were inadequate, since it provided more smoke than heat and used a lot of wood. Also, it was hazardous because it could burn houses down, especially since majority of houses back then were made out of wood. Thus, came the invention of the Pennsylvania Fireplace, a cast-iron furnace, commonly known as the Franklin Stove.
ReplyDeleteThe Franklin Stove was designed in 1742 by undoubtedly Benjamin Franklin. It is a metal-lined fireplace that stands in the middle of a room, and it used one quarter the amount of wood and produced twice the amount of heat than an open fireplace. It provides more heat and less smoke, and the heat would spread all over the room.
When Benjamin Franklin was offered a patent, the sole right of producing and selling the invention to make a profit, he declined. He wanted his invention to benefit people. He wrote in his autobiography, "As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously."
Works Cited:
"Benjamin Franklin Invented the Franklin Stove." About.com Inventors. About.com, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
"Benjamin Franklin's Inventions." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
"Franklin Stove History - Invention of the Franklin Stove." Franklin Stove History - Invention of the Franklin Stove. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
Benjamin Franklin is a name we hear from a very young age and is commonly associated with the invention of the lightning rod or the founding of America. Yet there are so many things that he has invented it would be difficult to remember them all and while some of his inventions and innovations have become less used there are still some that we use every single day. For example the odometer, a device placed in every car and motorcycle to measure the total distance traveled, is one of Benjamin Franklin's inventions. He first had the idea while working as a postmaster and wondered how far he traveled. So he measured the circumference of the wheel and calculated how many rotations it would require to travel a mile. Now a days we use for all sorts of things from measuring how far the family road trip was to how used a car is.
ReplyDelete"Benjamin Franklin's Inventions." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
Benjamin Franklin invented a new arrangement glass in 1761 after seeing water-filled wine glasses played by Edmund Delaval at Cambridge in England in May of 1761. Franklin, who called his invention the harmonica, after the Greek word for harmony, worked with London glassblower Charles James to build one, and it announced in early 1762, played by Marianne Davies. In Franklin's harmonica, 37 bowls were put horizontally on an iron spindle. The whole spindle turned with the foot pedal. The sound was made by touching the rims of the bowls with moist fingers. Rims were painted different colors according to the pitch of the note. A notes were dark blue, B notes purple, C red, D orange, E yellow, F green, G blue, and white. With the Franklin design, it is possible to play ten glasses simultaneously if needed, something that is very difficult if not impossible to do using upright goblets. Franklin also used a small amount of powdered chalk on the fingers, which under some acidic water conditions helped produce a clear tone.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_inquiring_glass.html
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/inventions.htm
When people say Benjamin Franklin they immediately think of his inventions the lightning rod or the library or even the Franklin stove, but no one thinks of how he improved and made the street lights a totally new invention of his own. He made it be able to not darken with soot and made it so it would only needed to be cleaned once or twice a week and stayed bright till morning, "nothing like London lights" he states. The way he made it is: he made it of 4 rectangular glass tiles and not one glass globe. This way the smoke did not form soot but escaped through the top hole (it did have a lid for rainy days). Air came from the bottom holes to keep the fire alive.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
"A List of Ben Franklin's Inventions, Discoveries." The Morning Call. N.p., 31 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
"Inquiring Mind." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
In his retirement age, Benjamin Franklin spent most of his time reading and studying. One of his major problems back then was reaching books placed on high shelves. He did have grandchildren to help him out but, to make it easier, he solved it by inventing the "long arm" out of a long wooden pole with a claw at the end. A very simple solution, but a solution nonetheless.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.inventions-handbook.com/Benjamin-Franklin-Inventions.html
DeleteFranklin did not, of course, invent electricity, but he discovered many things about it, previously not understood. Before Franklin started his scientific experimentation, it was thought that electricity consisted of two opposing forces. Franklin showed that electricity consisted of a common element which he named "electric fire." Further, electricity was like a liquid. It passed from one body to another however, it was never destroyed. In a letter to Peter Collinson, Franklin wrote that the "fire only circulates." Franklin's work became the basis for the single fluid theory. When something is being charged, such as a car battery, electricity flows from a positive body, that with an excess charge, to a negative body, that with negative charge. Indeed, a car battery has plus and minus signs on its terminals.
ReplyDeleteWork Cited:
"Electrified Ben." Benjamin Franklin and Electricity. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
"Benjamin Franklin and Electricity." Benjamin Franklin and Electricity. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
Benjamin Franklin was a person who carried a great Imagination, he had invented wo many inventions that we use in our every day lives. One of Franklin's greatest inventions is the Franklin stove, this stove was used during the winter to provide heat to the house. Back then people used open stoves, so then Franklin thought of improving the stove because the open stove didn't provide enough heat. So Franklin added rear baffles which improved airflow, and when the stove radiated heat the iron in the walls absorbed it and this would keep the room heated after the fire when out. even though Franklin had many more important inventions such as the Lightning rod and electricity, I beleive that the stove should be one of his most appreciated inventions. Benjamin Franklin was a person who carried a great Imagination, he had invented wo many inventions that we use in our every day lives. One of Franklin's greatest inventions is the Franklin stove, this stove was used during the winter to provide heat to the house. Back then people used open stoves, so then Franklin thought of improving the stove because the open stove didn't provide enough heat. So Franklin added rear baffles which improved airflow, and when the stove radiated heat the iron in the walls absorbed it and this would keep the room heated after the fire when out. even though Franklin had many more important inventions such as the Lightning rod and electricity, I beleive that the stove should be one of his most appreciated inventions. Benjamin Franklin was a person who carried a great Imagination, he had invented wo many inventions that we use in our every day lives. One of Franklin's greatest inventions is the Franklin stove, this stove was used during the winter to provide heat to the house. Back then people used open stoves, so then Franklin thought of improving the stove because the open stove didn't provide enough heat. So Franklin added rear baffles which improved airflow, and when the stove radiated heat the iron in the walls absorbed it and this would keep the room heated after the fire when out. even though Franklin had many more important inventions such as the Lightning rod and electricity, I beleive that the stove should be one of his most appreciated inventions. Benjamin Franklin was a person who carried a great Imagination, he had invented wo many inventions that we use in our every day lives. One of Franklin's greatest inventions is the Franklin stove, this stove was used during the winter to provide heat to the house. Back then people used open stoves, so then Franklin thought of improving the stove because the open stove didn't provide enough heat. So Franklin added rear baffles which improved airflow, and when the stove radiated heat the iron in the walls absorbed it and this would keep the room heated after the fire when out. even though Franklin had many more important inventions such as the Lightning rod and electricity, I beleive that the stove should be one of his most appreciated inventions.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/inventions.htm
Nice details and information
DeleteDaylight savings has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin as he was an early supporter of this idea. He first wrote about this in his essay “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light”, which was published in 1784. His idea was that by waking up earlier in the morning, people got more use of the daylight and finished their work earlier. This would cut back on the use of candles. A famous quote, “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” is associated with Benjamin Franklin.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
"Who Invented Daylight Savings Time?" About.com Inventors. About.com, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
"History of Daylight Saving Time - DST." The History of DSTDaylight Savings Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Benjamin Franklin invented many things that have been innovated and are still being used in modern times. In early colonial America, homes were warmed by a fireplace. The Franklin Stove, invented in 1742, is a fireplace that is lined in metals. It has rear baffles to improved airflow. It also provides more heat and less smoke than an open fireplace and uses less wood. This iron furnace stood in the middle of the room, and it emitted heat in all directions. The iron sides absorbed the heat, leaving the room warm and cozy long after the fire died out. Although Benjamin Franklin never grew up with much to spare, he still made a name out of himself and invented things that were centuries ahead of his time.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
Fuller, John. "Top 10 Benjamin Franklin Inventions." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
"Inventions and Achievements of Benjamin Franklin." About.com Inventors. About.com, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Ben Franklin loved the water ever since he was a child. Growing up in
ReplyDeleteBoston, he enjoyed the sea breeze and often dreamed
of becoming a sailor. Ben learned to swim and
became an expert swimmer. Wanting to increase his
speed in the water, Franklin came up the idea of fins that he
wore on his hands, at the age of 11. The fins were shaped like lily
pads or an artists paint pallet. This new invention helped the
swimmer have greater speed with each stroke he took. With
one on each hand, Franklin would paddle through
the water observing that they helped him to swim
faster.
Work Cited:
"Portraits of Benjamin Franklin." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 11.2 (1887): 173-74. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.