"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, .
either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing". America .
has never forgotten Benjamin Franklin because he did both. He lived these .
words of wisdom by writing as much as he could and by doing even more. .
He became famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a .
philosopher, a musician, and an economist. Benjamin Franklin is most .
famous for his experiment and research in the field of electricity. He also .
observed and made discoveries in storms and weather.
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on Jan. 17, 1706. His father, .
Josiah, was a poor soap & candlemaker. His mother, Abiah, was Josiah's .
second wife. Benjamin was the youngest son and the .
15th of 17 children. .
At the age of 10 Benjamin began to help in his father's shop, cutting .
candlewicks and filling molds. Although he went to school only two years, .
Ben was fond of books and spent much of his spare time reading. He also .
became an expert swimmer. One of his first inventions was a set of paddles to .
give him greater swimming speed. .
Benjamin Franklin was an active inventor all his life. One of his most .
famous inventions was the Franklin stove. In his time houses were poorly .
heated by open fireplaces. Franklin's stove was put in the fireplace, but its .
grate extended out into the room. This heater cast warmth in all directions. As .
Franklin said, the stove prevented a person "being scorched before, and, as it .
were, froze behind".
The Governor of Pennsylvania wanted Ben Franklin to patent his .
invention, but Ben Franklin refused. He wanted the stoves to be cheap and .
inexpensive so even poor people could afford to purchase .
and use his stoves. For more than a hundred years the Franklin stove brought .
comfort to thousands of families. Franklin didn't even patent any of his .
inventions.
Benjamin Franklin made many scientific discoveries in his time.
