BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: BIOGRAPHY, INVENTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS - HISTORY - 2024

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a diplomat, scientist, inventor, writer, man of many trades, knowledge and immeasurable wisdom, who collaborated in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

He is considered one of the founding fathers of the Nation. He negotiated, in 1783, the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. In addition, he received the honorary title of "first citizen of the 18th century".

His scientific research covered topics such as electricity, the field of mathematics and cartography or medicine. As a writer, he was characterized by his sharpness and ingenious pen, and among other texts, he published El almanaque de Ricardo el Poor.

Biography

Birth and early childhood

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in the city of Boston, in the United States. He had 16 siblings, and his parents were Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger.

When his father was little, he had arrived in Boston together with Benjamin's grandfather, escaping the adverse situation that the Protestants had before the English monarchical figure.

Benjamin did not study much, since he only received basic training in a grammar school called South Grammar School until he was ten years old. After that, his father pushed him to work together with him in a company owned by the family, specialized in the manufacture of candles and soaps.

Little Benjamin's true hobby was being a sailor, but his father did not accept his interest in sailing. Two years later, Benjamin began working with his older brother, James Franklin, thanks to the intervention of his father. James owned a printing press and Benjamin joined it as an apprentice.

Writer's facet

From that time are the only two known literary writings of Benjamin Franklin: Song of a Sailor and The Lighthouse Tragedy; both were poems, and Benjamin was motivated to write them at his brother's insistence.

His father was very critical of these writings, which made Benjamin give up and leave the profession of poet. Three years later, when he was 15 years old, his brother James began publishing a new newspaper, called the New England Courant, which was an independent publication.

That newspaper was the scene through which Benjamin Franklin began to write his first journalistic writings, which were full of criticism of the work of the political authorities of the time.

Philadelphia

When he was 17, he left his brother's printing press and traveled to the United States. He planned to go directly to New York, but instead he stopped first in Philadelphia.

At this time Benjamin worked in a local printing company and was a good worker, which made him well known in the printing industry. A year later, in 1725, he traveled to London and continued working in the printing industry.

In October 1726 he returned to Philadelphia and, after various work experiences and overcoming other health problems, he founded his own printing press with Hugh Meredith, who was his partner in this company. With it he published the Pennsylvania Gazette, a newspaper that he bought in 1729 and published until 1748.

Nuptials and death

In 1729 Benjamin Franklin married Deborah Read; from this union their three children were born.

Pleurisy was a disease that affected him during several moments of his life, since he suffered it in 1726 and then in 1789, when the symptoms were worse.

As a result of his illness, Benjamin Franklin was in bed for most of the year 1789. A year later, on April 17, 1790, he died as a result of this condition. He was 84 years old.

Political work

Since Benjamin Franklin began to write his first journalistic texts, when he was barely 15 years old, a tone with a marked critical character towards the political authorities was appreciated in his approach.

Thanks to information obtained in his autobiography, it can be known that Franklin was a man who was sympathetic to the Enlightenment, and that he considered it vital to seek that knowledge that was beneficial to society. Similarly, Franklin did not believe much in the Church and was characterized as a very tolerant person.

In the context of these ideas, Franklin was always acutely aware of the educational role of the printing press, and used this approach in managing and administering his own.

For example, there was a publication that, for years, was printed at Franklin's press: it is Poor Richard's Almanac, an annual text that had a variety of astronomical information, aphorisms, some hobbies and even math problems.

This almanac was very popular with the British colony of the United States at that time.

Political charges

As a consequence of the success of his work through the printing press, very soon Franklin began to have greater public visibility and acted as a leader in different stages of society, which in 1736 made him elect as a representative to the General Assembly of Philadelphia.

From that position, Franklin participated very actively in the achievement of American independence; he even contributed to the writing of the Constitution of the United States of America, along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

Franklin was also appointed minister for France, since he made several trips to this country in favor of the United States campaign against England. In this context, Franklin, who was already an official representative of the United States, even signed a trade and cooperation treaty in 1778.

A very important aspect of Benjamin Franklin's political work is that he actively participated in the Treaty of Paris, a document signed by the United States and England in which the end of the War of Independence was officially declared. This treaty was signed in 1783.

In 1785, two years after this important intervention, he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania; Under this position he dedicated himself to finding ways to improve the quality of life of the citizens of this city and his anti-slavery inclinations became very evident.

In fact, two years later, in 1787, he presided over the Society to Promote the Abolition of Slavery. Throughout his life, Benjamin Fraklin had a marked influence on the political life of the United States, so much so that his face appears on the US $ 100 bill, which is the one with the largest denomination.

Electricity experiments

Benjamin Franklin was characterized by being a man of varied interests and with perseverance and dedication in each new area in which he entered. One of the areas of interest was science, specifically electricity.

In 1747 Franklin carried out various experiments related to electricity, a concern he had had for some time. Franklin claimed that the storms had an electrical character, an aspect that had not been proven until then.

To demonstrate this fact, he took a kite that contained a metal tip; it was fastened with a silk rope, and the rope had a key tied to one end.

Franklin's experiment consisted of flying said kite on a rainy and stormy night. As the kite entered the cloud cover, the fibers in the string began to separate slightly, which was indicative that they were being electrically charged. The confirmation of this was that, when touching the key, a spark was generated.

Lightning rod

The above experiment was the starting point for one of Benjamin Franklin's most decisive inventions in the field of electricity: the lightning rod.

Franklin came to this artifact through trying to load the so-called Leyden bottle; This bottle was a container made of glass that was used at that time as a storage package for electrical charges.

Franklin's hypothesis indicated that it was possible to charge this bottle through electricity produced by nature in storms.

So the option was to place a metal rod at the top of the tall buildings and connect it to the ground; in this way, the electrical energy that makes up the beam can be discharged directly into the rod, without causing damage.

Electricity as a continuous fluid

The studies carried out by Benjamin Franklin in the area of ​​electricity made him generate several postulates.

Among these, the fact that, according to Franklin, electricity could be considered as a continuous fluid that goes from one surface to another stands out, and in this transfer process it is discharged in each area it touches. Franklin also called this fluid quality of electricity an electrical fire.

From these approximations, Benjamin Franklin was able to state what has become known as the Principle of conservation of electricity, for which he was directly based on what Isaac Newton postulated at the time.

It was also Franklin who created and used the terms electrical conductor, negative and positive electricity, and even battery. Without a doubt, Benjamin Franklin's experiments on electricity are far-reaching and of immense use to all mankind.

Works (publications)

Benjamin Franklin was characterized by recording many of his experiments, his reflections and his observations of a very varied cut. Franklin even began writing an autobiography when he was 40 years old; According to Franklin, the idea of ​​generating this text was to dedicate it to his son. However, this work was published in 1791, after Franklin passed away.

Compilations

Two compilations of Benjamin Franklin's works have been written. The first was released in 1887 and was called The Complete Works of Benjamin Franklin. The publisher was John Bigelow and the work consists of 10 volumes.

The second was published in 1959 and was entitled The Papers of Benjamin Franklin. The authors of this edition were William B. Willcox and Leonard W. Labaree. It was Yale University that published this 25-volume publication.

In addition to the aforementioned compilations, Benjamin Franklin published much of his work more or less periodically.

Individual works

A dissertation on liberty and necessity, pleasure and pain

This book, whose title is translated into Spanish as "Dissertation on freedom and necessity, on pleasure and pain" was written by Franklin in 1725. It was his first work, which he published when he was in England after his first trip. to Philadelphia.

Advice to a young tradesman

This book was published in 1748 and its title in Spanish is "Warnings to a young merchant." This publication sought to provide different advice aimed at young people who were developing in the field of commerce. Franklin was always aware of his role as an educator, owning a printing press.

Experiments and observations on electricity

In this book, Benjamin Franklin's research activity related to electricity is glimpsed.

Its name is translated into Spanish as "Experiments and observations on electricity" and it is a compilation of different letters in which Franklin explained the results he was obtaining from experiments carried out by himself. This work was published in 1774.

Remarks on the savages of North America

In this publication, published in 1783, Franklin claimed a different view from the conventional one, questioning the fact that certain native American communities were considered savage. The title in Spanish is "Observations on the savages of North America."

An address to the public

"An address to the public" (1789) is a writing by Franklin that deals with the atrocity of slavery. Benjamin Franklin was considered an abolitionist.

Poor Richard's almanac

Earlier we mentioned the "Poor Ricardo's Almanac", a very influential work in the United States of the time published between 1732 and 1757.

"Poor Richard" was actually a pseudonym used by Franklin to write this publication and the primary intention was to offer various tips and tools to promote good citizen action. The play was packed with practical application tips and entertaining word games.

A plan for improving the condition of the free blacks

This writing is a kind of recommendation given by Franklin that was framed in the fact of improving the living conditions of the blacks who had been freed. In this publication, Franklin highlights the importance of trying to integrate them in the best way possible in society.

The translation of the title of this book is "A Plan to Improve the Condition of Free Negroes," and it was published in 1789, a year before Franklin's death.

Other publications

-Sidi Mehemet Ibrahim on the Slave Trade, published in 1790.

- Memoires de la vie privée by Benjamin Franklin, published in Paris in 1791. In 1793 it was translated into English.

Inventions and contributions

The Lightning Rod

From his studies on electricity, Franklin concluded that: "Electricity is a positive charge that flows counteracting the negative." These experiments led him to claim that storms were an electrical phenomenon. Then he invented the lightning rod.

To test his theory, he used the famous kite experiment in France (1752), using a kite supported by metal wire attached to a silk thread.

Single fluid theory

Franklin determined that there are three types of charge on bodies. The modern conception of the constitution of matter specifies that atoms are agglomerations of particles that have a certain charge.

• Electrons have a negative electrical charge.
• Protons have a positive electrical charge.
• Neutrons that have no electrical charge.

Franklin furnace or

Franklin rectified the traditional and unsafe method of heating, inventing the iron stove. The new design generated safety and efficiency, by preventing fires and consuming less firewood.

Bifocal lenses

Franklin began to lose his vision at a very young age. An avid reader, he got tired of switching between two pairs of glasses (for seeing up close and for seeing far).

To avoid this he cut the lenses of both pairs in half, then put half of each lens in a single frame, thus inventing bifocal lenses.

Humidifier

Benjamin Franklin created the humidifier, a device used to raise humidity. When installed in stoves and fireplaces, it counteracts the dryness of the environment.

Count kilometers

In 1775 Franklin, as a Pennsylvania postmaster, and to improve the routes of the mailmen, he set out with his carriage to measure the distances to be traveled. There his idea arose to invent a device to measure the distances traveled, the basis of the current odometer.

Flexible urinary catheter

It consists of a small tube that is inserted into the patient's bladder through the urethra. Catheterization allows the patient to urinate freely without obstruction. He invented it to treat his brother John's painful urinary stones.

Crystal harmonica

The glass harmonica is an idiophone instrument (from the Greek, "own sound), since it produces sound by the vibration of the body itself.

Franklin's glass harmonica is the result of an automation for the tolling of the set of musical glasses carried out by Franklin in 1762, after witnessing in Cambridge a concert of wine glasses filled with water played by the Englishman Edward Delaval (1729 - 1814).

The glass harmonica consists of a series of glass bowls of different sizes superimposed and horizontally aligned, traversed by a shaft connected by a strap to a pedal that rotates them while playing. It currently has a four-octave register.

He described ocean currents, especially the Gulf Stream

Although the existence of the Gulf Stream was already known, Franklin was the first to publish detailed descriptions and maps in his 1786 work, Sundry Maritime Observations.

In his writings he also makes observations on ship propulsion methods, hull designs, causes of disasters at sea, anchors, and the well-being of seafarers on the high seas.

Gulf Stream. Franklin Map

Diving fins

Franklin designed the fins with wood (a non-hydrodynamic material), although the design did meet all the characteristics. In 1968 Benjamin Franklin was inducted into the "International Swimming Hall" of fame.

Single electric fluid theory

This theory proclaims that all non-energized bodies have a normal amount of electrical fluid. But it states that by rubbing one body with another, a part of its electrical fluid will pass to the other body.

In this case, there would be no energy creation but simply transfer. Therefore, one of the rubbed bodies will have more energy, and the other less.

References

1. Benjamin Franklin, His Autobiography: 1706–1757. The cornerstone of the Harvard Classics and Franklin's account of his journey of self-education. From the Harvard Classics, Vol. I, Part 1.