Fact Sheet: Benjamin Franklin's Inventions

Inventor. Diplomat. Scientist. Entrepreneur. Catalyst. Benjamin Franklin was quite a busy man. In his 84 years, he invented, discovered and improved many of the devices and civic institutions that people rely on today. Here’s a look:

He invented:

• Swim fins (1717)
• Franklin/Pennsylvania stove (1741)
• Lightning rod (1750)
• Flexible catheter (1752)
• 24-hour, three-wheel clock that was much simpler than other designs of the day (1757)
• Glass armonica, a simple musical instrument made of spinning glass (1762)
• Bifocals (1784)
• Long arm (extension arm) to reach high books (1786)

He discovered:

• Ways to keep streets cleaner and deal with waste management (1750s)
• That electricity existed in storm clouds, in the form of lightning (1752)

He founded and co-founded:

• America’s first circulating library, The Library Company of Philadelphia (1731)
• America’s first volunteer fire department, Union Fire Company (1736)
• America’s first learned society (with John Bartram), American Philosophical Society (1743)
• America’s first liberal arts academy, Pennsylvania Academy & College, now the University of Pennsylvania (1749)
• America’s first public hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital (1751)
• America’s first mutual insurance company, The Philadelphia Contributionship (1752)

He suggested:

• Colonies join together in a confederation, The Albany Plan (1754, not adopted)
• The concept of Daylight Savings Time in the essay, An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light (1784, not adopted until 20th century)

He improved:

• Street lamps that gave more light and would not be so easily vandalized (1751)

He observed:

• That storms can move in an opposite direction from the direction of the wind. He also proposed one of the first correct explanations for storm movement in the Northern Hemisphere (1743).
• That prolonged exposure to lead would cause sickness (1768)

He surmised:

• That the common cold was passed from person to person through indoor air (1773)

He designed:

• Rate chart used by postmasters (1753)

He was first to:

• Use the words “positive” and “negative” to describe electricity (1747)
• Create a political cartoon in America, published in The Plain Truth (1747)
• Chart the Gulf Stream during transatlantic trips to and from London (1768)
• Serve as Ambassador of the United States (1776)
• Introduce the colonists to Scotch kale, Swiss barley, Chinese rhubarb and kohlrabi

For Benjamin Franklin press releases photos and b-roll, visit visitphilly.com/media-center/photos-videos/. Consumers can go to visitphilly.com/ben for information about the museum and Ben’s Philadelphia.

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