There have been many different inventors and scientists throughout the
history of the United States of America that have been studied at great length.
While a majority of the most widely known inventors and innovators were only
able to make one contribution that significantly changed the world, there are also
a select few that made multiple discoveries and innovative contributions. Benjamin Franklin
is regarded as the most diversely talented out of the original founding fathers,
and perused his interest in a great many things during his lifetime. In addition
to many of his accomplishments during the 18th century, there are quite a few
facets of the man whose face is featured on the $100 bill that are less widely
known.
West's Painting of Franklin Drawing Electricity from the
Sky - 1816
15) He Pretended to Be a Woman Just to Become a Published Writer
As a young and ambitious teenage writer, Benjamin Franklin strongly desired to get his writings published, but he continuously got rejected by
editors and publishers. When he was 16 years of age and after what seemed liked
constant rejections, he decided to publish one of his pieces using a pseudonym
as a last attempt to have one of his
pieces accepted for publishing. That was when Mrs. Silence Dogood was created
out of thin air and began writing different articles, letters and stories from a
female perspective, and her content was widely published in the New England
Courant (a newspaper that Ben's brother owned).
Third Dogood Essay Published by New England Courant
He would listen to his brother and other colleagues as they would read and
publish just about everything
Mrs. Dogood submitted. Her work even made it to the front page of the
newspaper on a number of occasions. Finally it was revealed that young
Benjamin Franklin was Mrs. Silence Dogood, and his brother was furious because
of his dishonesty. Mrs. Dogood's writing career was immediately terminated, even
with her growing popularity among the New England Courant readership.
14) He Was Absolutely Terrified of Debt in General
There are millions of people in the United States today that struggle with debt
every single day. Statistics show that there is currently over $793 billion in
credit card debt in the U.S. alone. That works out to an average credit card
debt per household at a little under $16,000. Did you know that Benjamin
Franklin admitted on a number of occasions that he was absolutely terrified of
ever getting into
debt? In his opinion, being in debt was the same thing as being a
slave. He had witnessed many of his close friends destroy their lives simply
because they got themselves into debt, and he never wanted to experience that
financial turmoil personally.
He lived a very simple life that could of been considered well beneath his
financial
means, considering he made a substantial amount of money from his inventions,
experiments and other profitable investments. He even considered establishing a global
organization that would be known as The Society of the Free and Easy. The
purpose of the organization would have been to encourage people to live their
lives absolutely free of debt.
13) He Was a Self-Taught Musician Benjamin
Franklin never took any type of formal music lessons. Instead, he decided to
take the time to teach himself how to skillfully play the harp, guitar and
violin. Even as a young child, he appreciated the beauty of music and the sound
of musical instruments from his era. When he was seven years old, he used all of
his Christmas money to purchase a penny whistle. With it he composed a basic
string quartet that was titled "Simplicity." This particular piece had a strong
emphasis on the beautiful music that could be played by following simple notes
and scales. That was the first of many different pieces he would receive
composition credit during his fascinating life. One piece, "I Sing My Plain
Country Joan," was originally written to his wife, Deborah. Benjamin Franklin
was also fluent in several different languages, and was publicly recognized as a
self-taught genius with a simple and humble background.
12) He Received a Warm Greeting of Gun Fire in Philadelphia
As soon as Benjamin Franklin made his way back to Philadelphia in 1785 after
serving as U.S. Ambassador to France, he received a very elaborate and momentous
greeting from the city to officially welcome him back home. There were a lot of
guns being fired off, as well as church bells that rang repeatedly in his honor.
Franklin's Return to Philadelphia
He did not have to stay home long before he was called upon to become the
President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. The position was the
equivalent of a state governor. He initially did not want to accept this
prominent position that had extremely important responsibilities. In addition to
getting older, he was starting to experience consistent problems with his
health. However, he could not resist the persuasion of the people, and later
made the joke later that the "country's folk" had essentially "taken the prime"
of his life. He decided to accept this role of public service to honor the
people and in respect of the state he
loved. He was elected to a second term, but there is some debate as to how much
he really had to do with the day-to-day duties of the position towards the end
of his final term.
11) He Established the First Insurance Company Available in the Colonies
In the early 1750s, Benjamin Franklin was able to open and organize the very
first insurance company in the thirteen colonies. The
reoccurrence of uncontrollable fires throughout the area was a major problem,
and they destroyed many homes and businesses. Fire insurance became the focus
for the first colonial insurance company, and it was rightfully named the
Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire. The
major fire at Fishbourne's wharf which occurred in 1730, proved that many people
throughout Philadelphia were unprepared when it came to handling the damages
caused by a disaster like a structure fire.
Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire
In 1735, he used the Gazette newspaper to
connect with local citizens and inform them about just how important it was to
create reforms that were necessary to prevent similar tragedies from happening
again. The primary policy that was offered was a mutual insurance plan, which
basically meant that everyone would share the risk of each person's loss. In
order to be approved for this particular insurance policy, citizens were
required to first sign an Article of Association or a Deed of Settlement. This
concept expanded over the years, but Benjamin Franklin was instrumental in
getting the first colonially-operated insurance company started.
10) He Founded the First Volunteer Fire Company in the Country Over twenty years before he established the very first fire insurance
company, Benjamin Franklin had the ambitious desire of becoming a firefighter.
He achieved this goal at the age of 30 after rallying in the local newspaper to
have a volunteer firefighting brigade created. That is what led to the
establishment of the very first volunteer fire company, The Union Fire Company,
in 1736. The first brigade had only 26 members. Due to the ambitious
desires and endeavors of Benjamin Franklin, the Union Fire Company was able to
make sure that Philadelphia was prepared for anything.
Ben also was known for using his printing resources to teach people how to
effectively prevent fires that arose within their homes and buildings. This type
of education was able to provide many people with the knowledge that they did
not have beforehand when it came to preventative measures that could be taken to
minimize the risk of being endangered by a major fire in the future. Benjamin
Franklin always felt that a single ounce of prevention was worth more than a
pound of cure.
Philadelphia Fire Department's Ladder 2 Station - Direct
Descendant of Franklin's Union Fire Company
He would even remind people of
the need to be willing to jump out of the window of their homes in the event of
an uncontrollable fire in order to save their lives, instead of worrying
excessively about their homes and most likely perishing.
9) He Established the University of Pennsylvania
It had been a major dream of Benjamin's to be able to develop an educational
institution that would have a solid curriculum focusing on
English grammar skills and composition. It was his goal to promote a further appreciation of literature, and get more people to communicate
better with one another through writing. The curriculum for his dream institution would also focus on
applying practical knowledge of mathematics and science within a traditional
classroom environment. After he got the ball rolling, the school was officially
established and opened for admissions in 1751. There were initially just one
hundred students admitted, and it was officially charted as a college and as an
academy less than four years later. Over the next four decades, the school grew
in many different ways and thrived within the state – exceeding even the
greatest of expectations and hopes. In 1791, it was officially renamed the
University of Pennsylvania, which is the same name that it has kept for over 220
years.
Sculpture of Benjamin Franklin in front of College Hall
The average class is now much larger than the 100 students that attended
the school when it was first opened. However, the basic principles and solid curriculum that Benjamin
Franklin envisioned over two centuries ago are still in place.
8) He Never Wanted the Profits for Inventing the Franklin Stove Many
people may think that Benjamin Franklin was a very wealthy man who continued to
create revolutionary inventions in order to make even more money. Keep in mind
that this was the same man that created a wide variety of inventions that are
still being used over 200 years later, with only slight modifications from their
original designs. Benjamin Franklin clearly could have written his own check in
life, as the old saying goes, especially when it came to one of his most famous
and widely known inventions – the Franklin Stove. However, research studies have
proven that he actually didn't feel motivated by capital interests when it came
to his inventions.
When the Franklin Stove was first marketed in 1742, it was clear
that Benjamin Franklin was on to something big. It was a cast-iron stove that
had the efficiency and appearance of an actual fireplace. It proved to be far
less dangerous to use than an open wood fireplace. The state governor even tried
to work out a deal with Benjamin Franklin for the exclusive right of producing
and vending these stoves, but Franklin declined his offer. He could have easily focused all of his time, efforts, and
resources on making sure that he made as much money as possible off of the
Franklin Stove (also known as the Pennsylvania Fireplace.) Shockingly, he refused
to take any personal profits from the sales of this amazing invention that were
generated over the years. He always felt that the
only payment that he really needed was to know that this invention was able to
bring an immeasurable amount of satisfaction to thousands of houses throughout
the country, and served as an efficient source of warmth for the families that
lived within them. The Franklin Stove was also able to deliver an improved
ventilation system and fuel-efficient solution that no other inventor had been
able to develop at that time.
Franklin's Original Drawing for the Franklin Stove
Franklin's motivations for one of his most successful inventions was just to
create something that would help families, and profits seemed to be one of the
last things on his mind.
7) He Played a Key Role in the Founding of the First American Hospital
Even though Benjamin Franklin did not necessarily build the first American
hospital with his own two hands, the charitable donations he was able to
generate and collect played a significant role in its eventual completion. He
worked directly with Dr. Thomas Bond, within the Board of Managers, after the
United States had officially separated itself from Britain and become a free
country. Records have confirmed that he was able to
raise over 10,000 pounds within the Pennsylvania Assembly alone. He was then
able to use his persuasive appeal with the general public in order to get enough
donations to match that amount.
In addition to securing the initial funding for the hospital, Franklin even
improved its overall efficiency after it was constructed. For example, he was
the very first person to discover that fresh air was a required necessity when
it came to curing diseases and improving the general health of patients. Based
on his discovery, the windows of the hospital were lowered and the negative
reactions of lung diseases and fevers began to cease as a direct result of
Franklin's proposed changes.
6) He Invented the First Original Musical Instrument in America
Quite a few instruments were developed in ancient times by the Romans,
Greeks, and Israelites. The vast collection of instruments has continued to grow
and expand over time worldwide. Included within the extensive list of original
instrument creators and innovators is Benjamin Franklin. He not only wanted to
enjoy hearing and playing music, but he wanted to create his own original
instrument to make his own beautiful music with. That desire is what
inspired him to create the glass armonica. This invention was recorded in
history as being the very first original musical instrument that was created in
America. It was first shown off to the world during a musical showcase that
featured London musician Marianne Davies.
Franklin's Glass Armonica
Benjamin Franklin worked with a professional London glass bowler in order to
achieve a sufficient level of thickness for all of the bowls that were used to
create this instrument. In order to play it properly, there were foot pedals
that needed to be used and the musician could only play it with moist, clean
fingers. After its first showcase, Benjamin
traveled throughout all of London to play the glass armonica at different social
events and parties. The name of this particular instrument was derived from the
Italian word meaning "harmony." He worked with different thicknesses of bowls in order to
figure out which bowl represented each musical note. His inspiration for the instrument came from watching a musician play a
series of water-filled wine glasses. He was not afforded the very best education
growing up as a child, but he was able to use the resources that he had to make
the most of his natural intelligence.
5) He Was Not Very Good at Advanced Math
Keep in mind that Benjamin Franklin did not have the best education. He did
attend school and appreciated education a great deal, but he did not perform very
well when it came to advanced math. For the first five years of his electricity
experimentation, he was not able to depend on his firm knowledge of advanced
math formulas and equations in order to assist him in his research and studies.
He had to do everything by hand and through trial and error, using basic
tools such as resin and glass tubes, corks, gun barrels, and wax plates. Think
about that the next time you complain about your calculator not working properly
and consider Franklin's toilsome calculation system. Today, even in advanced
mathematics classes, students have it much easier than attempting to figure
things out in the manner that Benjamin Franklin needed to.
4) He Invented the Terminology Associated with Electricity
While it is true that Benjamin Franklin did not create electricity, his
experiments created the solid foundation that the world would use to study
it further. There was no one at the time that was even willing to
match the consistent effort and resources that Benjamin Franklin freely invested
into these dangerous, yet enlightening, experiments. Since he was the primary
source of research and understanding, he was the one that had to literally write the book
on the basic principles and terminology of electricity.
Franklin's Experiments and Observations on Electricity
Many of the terms and phrases that are used frequently about electricity were
developed by Benjamin Franklin including terms like
charged, brush, battery, conductor, and positive and negative.
3) Ben Franklin Almost Died Twice Experimenting with Lightning
There have been many different stories and myths that have been taught over the
years about Ben Franklin's experiments with lighting and electricity. It is
commonly known that he was not the person who was flying the infamous kite with
a key attached to it during a lightning storm. However, there were several times
that Ben did experiment directly with lightning and electricity without the
assistance of another person to do the grunt work for him, and he almost lost
his life twice because of it. The only reason that he survived these incidents
was because he simply did not receive a charge that was sufficiently strong enough to kill him.
On two separate occasions, he ended up being unconscious for extended periods
of time. During the first occasion, he tried to treat a man that had been
paralyzed through electric shock. On the second occasion, he was experimenting
with killing a turkey by electrocution. The charge did not go past his
arms, but he recorded that the sensation felt like an "unusual blow" to his
entire body.
2) He Sold a Profitable Business to Focus on His Experiments
Benjamin Franklin could have used his resources and intelligence to focus on
making a massive fortune throughout his life. However, that was not the way that
he wanted things. His top priority was always his inventions and experiments,
and the inherent good they could bring in the lives of other people.
Research studies have proven that Benjamin Franklin became so absorbed in his
work and experiments on electricity, that he decided to sell his printing
business just to have more time and resources available to devote to his
experiments.
Benjamin Franklin (center) at Work on a Printing Press
With the amount of business that he was generating with his printing
business, he basically was sitting on a goldmine that would continue to grow at
an exponential rate. It is clear that Benjamin Franklin had his both his mind
and heart set on changing the world, instead of on what he must of seen as the
selfish goal of maximizing his own net worth.
1) He Invented Many More Things than Most People Realize
When most people think of Benjamin Franklin's inventions, one of the first
things that may come to mind is the invention of bifocal spectacles, which are
still very popular. There were quite a few other inventions, however, that
Benjamin was able to create throughout his life that were later innovated
through future enhancements and upgrades. For example, he invented a library
stepstool, which has been improved with slight variations over the years but the
current version is extremely similar to Franklin's original design. He also invented the rocking chair, which he came up with
by fitting curved pieces of wood onto the legs of his armchair. He is also the
artist behind one of the most notorious political cartoons originally from the
French and Indian War, that was recycled to rally the former colonies to unite
against British rule at the onset of the Revolutionary War.
The postal service used odometers that were created by Franklin in order to
measure the distance of colonial roads. He developed a revolutionary type of
anchor that could be used on ships, and a white-light candle that was made out
of whale oil that lasted much longer than traditional candles. He developed a
pulley system that allowed him to lock and unlock the door to his bedroom and an
enhanced version of the standard streetlight. The inventions he seems to be most
known for are the glass armonica, the busybody, and bifocals.
Final Words
It truly is amazing what you can learn about someone just by focusing on
several interesting facts that may have slipped through the cracks when you were
first learning about their life. Benjamin Franklin was not only able to create
several revolutionary inventions that had a dramatic effect on the world, but he
also provided a shining example of the type of positive outlook and focus that
all men and women possess. His life serves as an example of how to truly live as
a great human being, one that cares for the wellbeing of others massively more
than their own financial status. In a time where money seems to dominate almost
every facet of daily life, there is much to learn from Franklin's exemplarily
life and his innovative explorations.
References: 15) He Pretended to Be a Woman Just to Become a Published Writer
USHistory.org
FranklinBusybody.com
14) He Was Absolutely Terrified of Debt in General
Federal Reserve - (The average amount of credit card debt within each
household is a little under $16,000)
FranklinBusyBody.com - (The purpose of the organization would have been
to encourage people to live their lives absolutely free of debt)
13) He Was a Self-Taught Musician
FranklinBusybody.com
HistoryCarper.com
GigMasters.com
12) He Received a Warm Greeting of Gun Fire in Philadelphia
FranklinBusybody.com
11) He Established the First Insurance Company Available in the
Colonies
Yahoo.com
USHistory.org
FranklinPapers.org
10) He Founded the First Volunteer Fire Company in the Country
FranklinBusybody.com
PBS.org
9) He Established the University of Pennsylvania
FranklinBusybody.com
UPenn.edu
8) He Never Wanted the Profits for Inventing the Franklin Stove
FranklinBusybody.com
Crystalinks.com
USHistory.org
7) He Played a Key Role in the Founding of the First American
Hospital
USHistory.org
FranklinBusybody.com
6) He Invented the First Original Musical Instrument in America
GlassArmonica.com
4) He Invented the Terminology Associated with Electricity
Franklin Institute
3) Ben Franklin Almost Died Twice Experimenting with Lightning
FranklinBusyBody.com
American Physical Society
2) He Sold a Profitable Business to Focus on His Experiments
USHistory.org
1) He Invented Many More Things than Most People Realize
FranklinBusybody.com
.jpg)
Benjamin
Franklin never took any type of formal music lessons. Instead, he decided to
take the time to teach himself how to skillfully play the harp, guitar and
violin. Even as a young child, he appreciated the beauty of music and the sound
of musical instruments from his era. When he was seven years old, he used all of
his Christmas money to purchase a penny whistle. With it he composed a basic
string quartet that was titled "Simplicity." This particular piece had a strong
emphasis on the beautiful music that could be played by following simple notes
and scales. That was the first of many different pieces he would receive
composition credit during his fascinating life. One piece, "I Sing My Plain
Country Joan," was originally written to his wife, Deborah. Benjamin Franklin
was also fluent in several different languages, and was publicly recognized as a
self-taught genius with a simple and humble background. 
Over twenty years before he established the very first fire insurance
company, Benjamin Franklin had the ambitious desire of becoming a firefighter.
He achieved this goal at the age of 30 after rallying in the local newspaper to
have a volunteer firefighting brigade created. That is what led to the
establishment of the very first volunteer fire company, The Union Fire Company,
in 1736. The first brigade had only 26 members. Due to the ambitious
desires and endeavors of Benjamin Franklin, the Union Fire Company was able to
make sure that Philadelphia was prepared for anything.
Many
people may think that Benjamin Franklin was a very wealthy man who continued to
create revolutionary inventions in order to make even more money. Keep in mind
that this was the same man that created a wide variety of inventions that are
still being used over 200 years later, with only slight modifications from their
original designs. Benjamin Franklin clearly could have written his own check in
life, as the old saying goes, especially when it came to one of his most famous
and widely known inventions – the Franklin Stove. However, research studies have
proven that he actually didn't feel motivated by capital interests when it came
to his inventions. 
