Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a scientist, his studies of electricity made him a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics, and he also charted and named the Gulf Stream current. His numerous inventions include the lightning rod, bifocals, the glass harmonica and the Franklin stove. He was the first president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania, and organized the American Philosophical Society, serving as its first secretary and later its president.
Facts
FieldElectricity and natural philosophy 1 Death PlacePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania 1 Notable WorkLightning rod, bifocals, glass harmonica and the Franklin stove; studies of electricity and the Gulf Stream 1 BirthplaceBoston, Province of Massachusetts Bay 1 Field
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Source Benjamin Franklin (Wikipedia)
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Source Benjamin Franklin (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articleQuote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath active as a physicist, philosopher, statesman and inventor who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Sources
1. Benjamin Franklin (Wikipedia)
Early life and education, Boston
Franklin was born on Milk Street in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, on January 17, 1706
Death
Franklin died from pleuritic attack at his home in Philadelphia on April 17, 1790, at age 84.
Lead section
Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706, April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
Lead section, third paragraph
He also charted and named the Gulf Stream current. His numerous important inventions include the lightning rod, bifocals, glass harmonica and the Franklin stove.
Lead section, third paragraph (electricity)
As a scientist, Franklin's studies of electricity made him a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics.
Lead section, third paragraph (inventions)
He also charted and named the Gulf Stream current. His numerous important inventions include the lightning rod, bifocals, glass harmonica and the Franklin stove.
- Wikipedia 'Benjamin Franklin': stated occupation/field in article intro, checked 2026-09-27
Member Of: University of Pennsylvania, Lead
He pioneered and was the first president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which opened in 1751 and later became the University of Pennsylvania.
Works In: Physics, Lead sentence
Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath active as a physicist, philosopher, statesman and inventor who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
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