One thing everybody said about Ben Franklin was that you never knew what he might do next. He was so curious. He poked his nose into one thing after another. He asked unusual questions. And he did unusual things to find the answers.
As a boy, Ben loved to swim. He also liked to fly kites. One day, he wondered what would happen if he did both at once. He felt the wind tug his kite and thought it might pull him through the water. At the edge of a pond, he stripped off his clothes and jumped in. Holding the kite string, he floated on his back. Off Ben went, sailing across the pond. A friend raced to the other side with his clothes. How they must have whooped and laughed at that adventure.
Ben thought he might swim faster if he used paddles. He cut two oval pieces of wood and started swimming with them strapped onto his hands. Sure enough, it worked. He made paddles for his feet too, but they dragged him down. The wood was too stiff and heavy. He needed something flexible that would move with his feet. About 200 years later, inventors used rubber-a flexible material-to make flippers for navy divers. Ben had the right idea all along.
When Ben grew up, he kept asking questions and experimenting. He invented a new kind of wood stove that was better at heating homes. The governor of Pennsylvania offered to give Ben a patent on his invention. The patent would have made Ben a rich man. But Ben refused to patent any of his inventions. He wanted everyone to benefit from his work.
Ben invented and discovered many different kinds of things. To reach books high up on library shelves, Ben made a long-arm gripper — an invention that is still used today. To help himself see better, he combined two different strengths of eyeglass lenses in one pair of frames. Thanks to this invention, millions of people today can see better with bifocal glasses. Ben made a musical instrument out of glass, a better streetlight an anchor that helped ships stay afloat in storms, an improved clock, and lots more. He experimented with seeds and fertilizer to help farmers. He studied ocean currents to help ships find faster routes across the Atlantic.
Ben Franklin's most famous experiments were with electricity. He invented new kinds of electrical equipment, including the first battery. He even created new words to describe his inventions: conductor, battery, and electrical shock. Ben got nasty shocks a few times himself.
Ben felt sure that lightning and electricity were the same. Through his experiments, he had discovered that a sharp point could attract electricity through lightning. He thought that if he could get a point high into the air, such as the tip of a building, it might attract lightning, too. So he made a kite out of a silk handkerchief and two sticks.
He fastened a string to the kite and tied a metal key onto the string so that he could test for electricity. In rain and lightning, Franklin and his son William sent the kite soaring into a dark thundercloud. At first, nothing happened. They were almost ready to give up, when Ben noticed loose threads standing away from the string. The threads looked as though they were charged with electricity. So Franklin touched the key, and an electrical spark flew from his knuckle.
Ben used this discovery to invent the lightning rod, which is used to protect a house during storms. When lighting strikes this metal pole, the electricity travels through the pole into a wire, then safely down into the ground.
Although Ben Franklin is remembered as a Founding Father of our nation, he was also one of the most respected scientists of his day. His "shocking" discoveries about electricity and lightning were the first in the world. His "electrical" curiosity made life better for the people of his time — and for us today.
When someone has a patent on something (like Ben's stove), that person owns the right to make or sell that thing.
Remember when you were little and adults told you never to play with electricity? They were right. Ben Franklin's experiment was a dangerous one. You should NEVER try to do it yourself!
By Pat Thomas
Source: Appleseeds, Dec2004, Vol. 7 Issue 4, p14, 4p