Benjamin Franklin

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Benjamin Franklin

• American Inventor
• By Meghan Bush

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NationalityAmericanYear Born1706Major
InventionsElectricity, Bifocals, Rocking Chair,
Fire Department
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Biography
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706.
He was the 15th child out of a total of 17
brothers and sisters. At age 17, he ran away to
Philadelphia to work on his own. He found a job
as a printer and printed the Philadelphia
Gazette, a newspaper. He invented the almanac in
the print shop, selling about 10,000 copies a
year. When he was an apprentice, he had learned
how to type and print. That was how he could
invent the almanac and print a newspaper. Ben
was not afraid to experiment. When a thought
popped in his head, he had the determination to
prove it. Ben and three of his friends were
trying to analyze electricity and experiment with
it. Two of his friends got electrocuted while
they were working on this. While they did this
experiment, they obviously proved that lightning
was electricity. Yet, the world had not seen it,
so Franklin decided to do the kite experiment,
but alone.Ben would always think about what he
wanted to do in the experiment, find the
materials, and think of how he could fix
something if it did not work. Finally, he would
gather the materials and do the experiment.
Sometimes this process took a while. Ben was very
keen to show the world that lightning was
electricity. He wanted to prove this. He decided
to use a metal key to do this experiment. Yet, he
still needed a way to keep the key in the air. In
1752, on a stormy day, he raised his kite with a
key tied near his hand. He could feel the
electric shock go through his body. Ben had
finally proven and understood lightning/electricit
y. Later that year, he invented the lightning
rod.In 1740, electricity was a novel and
fashionable subject. Most people thought that
electricity was as mysterious as heaven. When
Franklin gave the idea of lightning being a
source of electricity, people were exited, and he
was supported all around the world. Ben also
invented the fire department, and was a volunteer
firefighter, too. If Ben hadn't discovered
lightning was electricity, we would not have
anything that could run on it. Although many
people have researched electricity and found how
it worked, fewer research and experiments would
have happened. Electricity has gone far from
Benjamin Franklin's basic idea. We now have
computers, lamps, speakers, T.V., and many more
things that run on electricity.
http//www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inven
tor/franklin/index.html
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Benjamin Franklin was very determined to prove
his point. He never stopped trying, and never
let other people bring him down. Because of
this, he was a very successful in his life.
Benjamin Franklin was an amazing person, and that
is why he is an American hero.