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June 1, 2011

Benjamin Franklin





by Evan Pohl and Ben Metcalf

Did you know your TV wouldn’t work if Benjamin Franklin didn’t invent the Lightening Rod? Its true, Benjamin Franklin changed our world. This biography will tell you about his awesome life and inventions such as the Lightening Rod.

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. He was born on Milk Street in the city of Boston. At the time, Boston was the largest city in America. His dad was a candle maker.

Ben’s early childhood was not fun. He later moved to a bigger shop-house. Also, he attended school and was the best students. But sadly, Ben’s dad could not afford to let Ben go to school anymore and in 1716, he moved back to his dad’s shop.

Later, Ben found interest in newspaper printing. Luckily, Ben’s brother James was a real printer. Ben signed a contract to work for James for nine years.

One day, Ben decided to run away. Ben wrote letters that James liked. When James found out who really wrote the letter, he was mad at Ben and that is why he ran away. He ran away to New York.

Ben couldn’t find a job in New York. So he went to Philadelphia. He had to walk 100 miles. He spent his last dollar on bread.

In 1721, Ben thought about marrying Deborah Read. Then, that marriage was cancelled due to a trip to London. In London, Ben worked in printing shops and bought printing equipment.

In 1729, at the age of 23, he wrote for a newspaper called the Pennsylvania Gazette. Ben wrote observations and essays. Ben Franklin’s business started small. Then, it grew bigger and bigger, and then it was the biggest newspaper company in America.

In 1730, Ben got married with Deborah. They lived on Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His son, William, was born in 1731.

In 1732, Deborah and Ben had another child named Francis. The Franklins liked to call him Franky.

In Philadelphia, the streets were not paved and it was dust. Ben thought he should make the town a better place. He past a law for people to pay taxes and got the streets paved.

Next, sad news came to the Franklin family. The Franklin’s son Francis died of small pox. Small pox is a disease where little small brown pox appear on your skin. There was no cure.

In 1743, Ben and Deborah had a daughter named Sarah. They nicknamed her Sally.

In 1747, Ben retired from printing. Instead, he created a partnership. Then he want into electrical research.

In 1748, Ben stopped working to study science. He studied very hard. Eventually, his work paid off and he invented a whale oil candle.

In June 1752, there was a thunderstorm. Ben and his son William went out in the storm for an experiment. Ben started to fly a kite with a key tied on the string. Lightening struck the kite and the key started to glow. Ben touched the key and he discovered a sign of electricity.

In 1757, America was not free. They were ruled by a British king. The British King made the Americans pay taxes and used the money for Britain. So, Benjamin Franklin was sent to London. He tried to convince the British that it was not fair to be ruled by another country. Britain wouldn’t agree. Franklin knew this would lead to war.

Later, in 1776, Ben, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the rest of the Continental Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. That ended the Revolutionary War! The Americans were free.

Next, came the bad news that Benjamin Franklin died in April 1790. He was 84 years old when he died.

How it works

The Lightening Rod works in a special way. Put a steel bar on top of a building. Then a wire leads down to the ground to another steel bar. When the lightening strikes the bar, all the lightening leads to the ground.

The problem the Lightening Rod solved was a big problem. Houses would have been destroyed. There would be tons of fines! The Lightening Rod saves houses from getting struck by lightening.

The Lightening Rod changed the world in a great way! It also conserves water. The Lightening Rod also changed over time. It made our electricity.

In conclusion, people still use the Lightening Rod today because of Ben Franklin. He changed our world from destruction of lightening. As a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin was a very important man.

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