Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an American printer, author, publisher, and scientist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706. His father made soap and candles.

From his school days, Benjamin Franklin was very interested in science. At that time, Leyden made his famous jar, and Franklin quickly understood that it could store electricity.

He invented a way to draw electric fire from the clouds using iron rods on high buildings. He had invented the lightning rod.

In June 1752, he risked his life and the life of his son William, who helped him prove that lightning is an electrical discharge. They made a kite of silk on a wooden frame with a string of metal wire.

Standing in the open door of their house, they flew it in a thunderstorm while it was raining.

At first, nothing happened, but when the kite string got wet from the rain, electricity began to flow. Sparks jumped between the key and the Leyden jar. The electric current could not flow along the kite string until it got wet. Wet silk, like metal, is a good conductor of electricity. Dry silk is not a conductor. Benjamin Franklin’s lightning conductor is now used all over the world. He also invented many of the terms which are still used in electricity, such as battery and semiconductor.