Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was an American printer, writer, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and political leader who helped found the United States.

George Washington: George Washington was commander of the Continental Army and the first president of the United States. Franklin worked with Washington during the American Revolution and helped secure French support for his army.
Lightning rod: A lightning rod is a grounded metal conductor that provides a path for electrical charge from a structure to the Earth. Franklin’s experiments helped establish lightning as electrical and led him to promote this protective device.
Enlightenment: The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural inquiry, and debate about political and social institutions. Franklin’s experiments and civic arguments made him a prominent American representative of Enlightenment ideals.
United States Declaration of Independence: The United States Declaration of Independence is the 1776 document announcing the American colonies’ separation from Great Britain. Franklin was one of five members of the committee that drafted it and helped revise Jefferson’s text.
Kite experiment: The kite experiment is Benjamin Franklin’s proposed test of whether thunderclouds carry electrical charge, described in 1752. The experiment illustrates his argument that lightning and laboratory electricity were the same phenomenon.
Thomas Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States. Franklin served alongside Jefferson on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence.
Franklin stove: The Franklin stove is a cast-iron fireplace insert designed to radiate more heat into a room while using less fuel. Franklin devised it to improve household heating, though its design had practical limitations.
Electricity: Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with electric charge and its motion or distribution. Franklin’s investigations helped establish electricity as a single phenomenon involving positive and negative charge.
Treaty of Paris (1783): The Treaty of Paris (1783) ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized the independence of the United States. Franklin negotiated the treaty in Paris with John Adams and John Jay.
Hutchinson letters affair: The Hutchinson letters affair was an 1773 political scandal involving private letters by Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson. Franklin sent the letters to Massachusetts, where their publication intensified colonial anger and damaged his standing in Britain.

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