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Member Articles Member Articles Benjamin Franklin: Humanitarian Inventor | Benjamin Franklin: Humanitarian Inventor |
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Benjamin Franklin is well known for many accomplishments in his lifetime that include invention, as well as scholarship, statesmanship and revolution. What stands out is the unifying thread through all these accomplishments; how he got along with people. Mr. Franklin started out as a journalist at age 15 on his brother's newspaper, the New England Courant. Indeed, his writing was excellent; straight forward, insightful and often witty. These articles caused such a stir that they eventually helped lay the groundwork for the American Revolution. Mr. Franklin's diplomatic accomplishments were also quite impressive. He traveled throughout Britain and in 1771 was invited to sit with the Irish Parliament instead of in the gallery, a first for an American. In 1776 Franklin went to France as a commissioner for the United States and was such a favorite that many wealthy French families decorated their parlors with a painting of him. He negotiated the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and was able to secure a military alliance in 1778. His curiosity and rapport produced remarkable results in invention as well. One result of his long voyages was to chart the Gulf Stream and design watertight bulkheads for ships. In an effort to help his brother be more comfortable he developed a flexible urinary catheter. He invented the Franklin stove to help people warm their homes less dangerously and save on wood. From this invention he went on to establish the first fire company and first fire insurance company to help people live more safely. Franklin created the first lending library because he belonged to a group that read allot and felt a need to help with the cost of books. Franklin believed that his inventions should be available to others, "... as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously." Benjamin Franklin never patented his inventions. He had a simple formula for success: he believed that successful people worked just a little harder than other people. "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."                     |
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