Interviewing Benjamin Franklin

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Interviewing Benjamin Franklin

• Interviewer- Rayka Devaprasad

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Inventions

• Rayka- What inventions did you invent? Was
  there any invention that you liked a lot?
• Benjamin- I invented the bifocals, catheter,
  Franklin stove, glass armonica, lighting rod, and
  the odometer. "Of all my inventions, the glass
  armonica has given me the greatest personal
  satisfaction." Also I was the founder of the
  first public lending library in America. And was
  the founder of the first fire department in
  Pennsylvania.

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Personal Life

• Rayka- Looks like you have invented quite a
  lot. Can you tell me some of your personal life?
• Benjamin- My personal life I have 3 kids. They
  are very nice. My father had many wives. With all
  the wives my father had produced 17 children. I
  was the fifteenth child and the youngest son. My
  mom really wanted me to go to school, but only
  had enough money for me two go to school for two
  years. Ahhh I still remember what that school
  was called Boston Latin School. Also when I
  couldnt afford to go to school I used to read
  all the time. I also remember when I was sixteen
  I experimented with vegetarianism to save some
  money. We werent the richest people. I remember
  in Puritan times it was a sin to be born on
  Sundays. And I was born on Sunday. Right away my
  father baptized me on my birthday. I was an
  author, printer, satirist, political theorist,
  politician, scientist, inventor, civic, activist,
  statesman, soldier, and diplomat.

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Electricity

• Rayka-That is really good that you read books
  even though you couldnt afford to go to school.
  Ive heard that you really like electricity. Ive
  also heard that you say electricity and lightning
  are the same thing. Can you give me examples on
  this?
• Benjamin- Ah I love electricity a lot.
  Examples of why electricity and lightning are the
  same are that both create light, they both make
  loud crashes when they explode, both are
  attracted to metal, both have a particular smell,
  and more. Electricity is a spectacular thing.

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Lightning Rod

• Rayka-Im very interested on one of your
  inventions, the lighting rod. Can you please tell
  me how a lightning rod works?
• Benjamin-The lightning rod well basically a
  lightning rod provides a way for the negative
  charge built up along the bottom of the cloud to
  become grounded. Therefore the lightning is
  attracted to the lightning rod since the negative
  charge is constantly trying to find a way to
  disperse into either the ground or a positive
  charge.

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Bifocals

• Rayka- I have also heard that you were
  getting old and you didnt like changing your
  glasses all the time. So you invented?
• Benjamin-I invented the bifocals. I was
  getting old and was having trouble seeing with
  both up-close and at a distance. I was getting
  tired of switching between two types of glasses,
  so I thought about how to devised a way to have
  both types of lenses fit into the frame. So then
  I came up with the bifocals. The distance lens
  was placed at the top and the up-close lens was
  placed at the bottom.

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Music

• Rayka-Wow you are very smart. I have heard
  that you like music. Did you play any music of
  your own?
• Benjamin-Well yes I did. I played the guitar,
  harp, and violin. I just loved music.

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Lightning and Electricity Experiment

• Rayka-You played a lot of music. Can you tell
  me about the experiment with electricity and
  lightning?
• Benjamin-Well I first needed something tall like
  a tall building or a tall hill. But Philadelphia
  didnt have any hills or tall buildings. I only
  had a silk handkerchief a couple sticks and some
  string. Since there wasnt any tall buildings or
  hills I had to think a way to get that key up
  there. So then I build a kite and flew it up
  there. A few scientists and I proved that
  electricity and lightning were the same thing.

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(No Transcript)