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"An invention or innovation, once created, is a benefit to all mankind, for it cannot be monopolized by the few."
—Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was the most famous inventor of all the founding fathers. He invented many amazing gadgets and life saving devices.
Ranging from breakthroughs in music to advancements in heating and protecting structures from thunderstorms. Benjamin Franklin’s inventions like bifocals, the glass harmonica, the Franklin stove, odometer continue to inspire inventors today.
Franklin loved to experiment with electricity. During his famous kite experiment he would come up with the idea for the lightning rod.
Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod revolutionized the way we protect buildings from lightning strikes.
Mounted on the roofs of buildings, this metal rod is connected to the ground via a wire. It channels the lightning's electric current to the ground. The lightning rod remains a vital means of saving buildings and lives today.
Later in life, Franklin grew frustrated in that he had to switch between two different pairs of glasses for near and far vision.
His solution was to cut two lenses in half and join them together. He used a small strip of visible separation between the two powers.
Franklin's invention of bifocal glasses helped people with presbyopia—where old people lose the eye's ability to focus on close objects.
The glasses feature two distinct optical sheets in a single lens. The upper part is designed for distance vision. The lower part for close-up stuff like reading.
The Franklin stove, also known as the "Pennsylvania fireplace," was a cast iron stove invented by Franklin.
It was made to be more efficient and less smoky than other open fireplaces. It would become a staple in American households for years to come.
Traditional open fireplaces were inefficient and produced too much smoke.
Franklin's stove featured a closed firebox. The stove forced air to pass through a series of channels and holes. It would then enter the room, resulting in cleaner burn.
The stove was also safer. It had a low-profile and it prevented sparks from burning down the house.
The odometer, a device that measures the distance traveled.
Franklin came up with the idea as the Postmaster of Philadelphia. A job that required him to establish efficient mail delivery routes.
He needed a way to measure the distances between stops. He designed the odometer to easily attach to his carriage.
The odometer consists of a series of gears and wheels. They rotate as the vehicle moves. The distance is indicated by the number of rotations of the wheels.
During a visit to England in 1761, Franklin attended a concert. The performer played with musical glasses.
He loved the unique sound, so he set out to create a similar instrument himself.
The remarkable invention is the glass harmonica. It’s a musical instrument that produces an otherworldly tone.
The instrument consists of a series of glass bowls. They are played by rubbing wet fingers around the rim of each bowl. The sound is produced by the friction of the wetted fingers on the rim of the glass bowls.
The instrument gained popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries. Composers like Mozart and Beethoven even wrote pieces for the glass harmonica.
Benjamin Franklin also made significant contributions to medicine.
Franklin's older brother John suffered from kidney stones—and in response—Franklin designed a catheter made from silver. It used hinged segments to create a flexible tube.
Most urinary catheters in the 18th century were rigid and made of metal, which caused lots of pain.
Benjamin Franklin also invented the long arm. It was a simple but effective tool that allowed users to reach and retrieve items from hard-to-reach places.
The long arm featured a grasping mechanism, similar to grabber tools we know and use today.
Wanting to swim better in London, Benjamin Franklin invented wooden paddle attachments for his hands to make it easier to swim.
While simplistic, this invention showcased his love of making everyday tasks easier like swimming.
In 1768, Benjamin Franklin created a phonetic alphabet. It consisted of 36 symbols. They represented the full range of English speech sounds in writing. It helped to simplify spelling and promote literacy.
The alphabet served as an inspiration for later efforts such as the International Phonetic Alphabet.
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Benjamin Franklin is often credited with the idea of daylight saving time.
In 1784, Franklin wrote a satirical essay suggesting that adjusting the clocks during the summer months would save on candles. It would also make better use of daylight.
Though the original concept was a joke, it would later be implemented in many countries around the world, including the United States. Wanted to conserve energy and make better used of the natural light of the sun.
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