Benjamin Franklin

A Nature of Science biography of Benjamin Franklin, one of the greatest names in American history. Franklin left Boston aged 17 with only a few pennies and became a national hero.

His sense of adventure brought him success as a printer and fame as a scientist before becoming an ambassador for his country. Franklin invented the lightning rod and bifocal lensed glasses as well as contributing to the understanding of electricity.

The chapters are:
1. Benjamin grows up
2. The beginnings of electricity
3. Doing electrical experiments
4. Electricity from the skies
5. Shocks and terrors
6. The lightning rod

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• URL: http://stem.org.uk/rxwp