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 Ben Franklin's Big Ideas Did you know that Ben Franklin published his own almanac? Along with the regular info, he put jokes, how-to’s, one line sayings, and tips to live a good life. Ben Franklin called his almanac the Old Farmer’s Almanac. He published a yearly almanac for 25 years. This was one of Ben’s biggest ideas yet! Everyone was into electricity at this time. It was the newest fad. Franklin was very fascinated with the idea of electricity, so he sent letters to English scientists to learn some tricks with sparks. He learned most of the basics and he made up some of his own. He even planned an electrical picnic. He arranged to kill a turkey by a shock; roast it with an electrical circuit, on a fire lit by an electrical bottle. He was so excited that he was careless, so he was knocked unconscious by an electrical shock. The biggest part of his idea was that electricity and lightning were exactly the same. People thought that lightning was going to always be one of the most mysterious things on earth. So what Benjamin did was that he made a kite out of cloth, and tied a metal key to the wire, since electricity was attracted to metal. He flew the kite on a stormy day, and went close to a lightning bolt. He touched the key and felt a shock go through his body. He found out the answer to his question! Lightning was electricity! This helped him invent the lightning rod, which is attached to a building, and when lightning strikes it, it carries the electricity safely to the ground. Franklin also played a part in the Revolutionary War. The British were fighting the American colonists because they wanted to tax them. So America sent Mr. Franklin to France to talk them into joining the war on America’s side. The French agreed to fight the war with America, and America/France won! Since the war was over now, Benjamin helped write the constitution. Thomas Jefferson ended up doing the writing, but Ben made some major changes. Ben Franklin really helped America. Ben Franklin is now a major symbol of America. He appears on the $100 dollar bill even though he was not president, which is a great honor. His inventions and ideas will help people for generations. Article posted October 26, 2011 at 10:10 PM • comment • Reads 319 • Return to Blog List Add a CommentPosted Comments |
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