Detailed information about Benjamin Franklin is given on this website. Today we will talk about Benjamin Franklin Invention List and you can also read the Benjamin Franklin Apush Definition
Benjamin Franklin Invention List
What Did Benjamin Franklin Invent?
Urinary Catheter
Franklin’s modification of the urinary catheter provided relief to hundreds of Americans with bladder problems, despite not being the most impressive device on his resume.
A catheter was a thin tube inserted into a patient’s urethra to drain urine from the bladder. However, at the time, they were rigid metal tubes. Franklin’s brother John had kidney stones and had to endure a daily ritual of jamming a bulky metal catheter into his urethra.
Franklin sought a flexible catheter from a local silversmith to alleviate his brother’s daily attacks on his loins, stating that it would be as flexible as expected and would easily adapt to the passage’s turns.
American Celebrity
In the mid-18th century, Europeans saw the colonies as a dangerous frontier with trading posts for fur and cotton. Many famous musicians, artists, and scientists were based in European capitals. Franklin, a Renaissance man with wood-chopping skills, quickly gained fame as a superstar from North America, becoming as influential as Björk is to modern Iceland.
Franklin, the first US ambassador to France, was admired by Parisians for his kitsch image and charitable efforts. His autobiography was published in a French translation after his death. Franklin also freed his slaves George and King, and became a vocal abolitionist, showcasing his charitable spirit. His image was prominently displayed in Parisian homes.
Swim Fins
Franklin, despite his later softness, claimed to be a strapping, broad-shouldered man in his youth. He attributed his physique to being a vigorous swimmer, taking daily dips in the Thames when he was posted to London in the 1750s.
At 11 years old, Franklin invented a pair of oval planks with holes to give him extra thrust underwater. He used these fins to swim faster but soon abandoned them due to wrist fatigue. He also tried strapping boards to his feet like sandals but found them awkward and clunky. These inventions marked the beginning of underwater swimming.
Franklin’s inventions were later abandoned for dry land, preferring to swim without a swimsuit. In colonial America, swimming was mainly for shipwrecked sailors and skinny-dipping children. His advocacy for the sport earned him recognition in the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the United States Swim Schools Association Hall of Fame.
The Odometer
In colonial America, mail was haphazard, with letters being carried by anyone available and post offices being sacks of mail stored in taverns. Colonists would send up to five copies of a letter in five different directions to ensure one made it to its destination.
In the 1760s, the British government hired Franklin to improve the colonies’ inadequate postal system, a man of letters himself, with a strong commitment to expediting communication between the colonies.
Franklin toured major postal centers in America to standardize and streamline mail delivery. He attached a geared device to his horse carriage’s rear wheel, causing the device to click ahead one mile (1.6 kilometers) every 400 revolutions.
Franklin’s Survey of Early Colonial Roads • Franklin’s survey of early colonial roads was accurate. • His design was not the first or last odometer, with similar devices in Nova Scotia and the Midwest. • Franklin’s odometer was practical, unlike modern electronic odometers. • A slightly worn version of Franklin’s odometer can still be seen at the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia.
American Political Cartooning
Glass Armonica
In the 1750s, Franklin, a Pennsylvanian diplomat, attended a concert at Cambridge University by professional wine glass player Edmund Delaval. Delaval played wine glasses by filling them with different amounts of water and rubbing their rims in succession, creating a unique musical experience.
Franklin noticed the potential for improvement in creating music from wine glasses, as playing them is time-consuming and difficult on the wrists. He aimed to create music without emptying his kitchen cupboards, despite the smooth, ethereal sound they produced.
Franklin introduced the glass armonica two years later, a collection of glass bowls arranged on a rotating shaft. By spinning the shaft with a foot pedal and running wetted fingers over the bowls, Franklin was able to coax out chords and melodies that Delaval could only dream of. The instrument was popular in parlors and concert halls across Europe and America, with Mozart and Beethoven writing music and Franz Mesmer using it for hypnosis. However, its popularity declined in the 19th century.
Reaching Device (the Long Arm)
At 5 feet, 11 inches, Franklin was not expected to invent a reaching device, but he was passionate about books and became a vegetarian at 16. By late adulthood, his homes were filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. To reach top shelves without a step ladder, Franklin created a “long arm” in his workshop with two “fingers” mounted on the end. By pulling on a cable, he could grip a book off a high shelf.
Long arm versions are popular among individuals needing extra reaching power, such as dwarfism individuals, highway cleanup crews, and those suffering from severe arthritis. These arms are used to grasp door handles and countertops, pick up litter on highways, and alleviate joint strain. Despite their rarity in libraries, they continue to be used in various applications.
The Franklin Stove
In Franklin’s time, colonists in Pennsylvania used logs to heat their homes. However, as forests around Philadelphia grew thinner, they had to travel 100 miles for fuel. Franklin decided to find a more efficient way to heat homes to combat the growing energy crisis, as the forests around Philadelphia were becoming thinner.
Franklin solved inefficiency in fireplaces by enclosing the fire in a cast-iron box, radiating heat from all four sides, and allowing users to control the rate of wood burning by adjusting the stove’s airflow. This method effectively reduced fuel consumption and heat output.
Franklin’s original design of a safe, enclosed stove has become a staple in cabins and cottages worldwide, eliminating the risk of fires being ignited by sparks.
Bifocal Eyeglasses
As Benjamin Franklin grew older, he became both near-sighted and farsighted. He needed long-distance glasses for outdoor use and different lenses for close-up examinations. This became a tedious routine, so he cut two glasses in half and joined them together in one frame to simplify his vision.
Franklin’s new glasses enabled him to see long distances through the top lens and read through the bottom lens, a groundbreaking innovation that combined farsighted and nearsighted glasses that had been in existence for centuries.
Franklin’s original bifocal design remained unchanged until 2006 when Arizona researchers created eyeglasses with lenses that could switch from far-sighted to near-sighted with a button, despite some improvements.
The Lightning Rod
Lightning was a supernatural threat to 18th-century wooden cities, particularly churches, as they were often the tallest structures. A single electrical storm could destroy entire regions. In Franklin’s lifetime, a lightning bolt killed 3,000 people in Italy after hitting a church basement filled with gunpowder. Despite prayers, no one knew how to protect buildings from this “electrical fire.”
At 42, Franklin retired from publishing to focus on electrical experiments. He discovered that a metal rod could be attached to a building and wired to the ground to remove “fire” from clouds. This protective rod was first adopted in French churches and cathedrals across the Atlantic, demonstrating the potential of electrical protection.
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