Benjamin's Other Side
Capturing the Lightning
Page 1
Capturing the Lightning, page 1
2002 copyright Jigyungsa Ltd, Korea.
Translation: - Lightning and thunder is the phenomenon created when electrical charges in the air come into contact with the electrical charges on the ground.
- The first person who understood this phenomenon was America's Benjamin Franklin.
- Franklin: "Very scary!"
- "Will the sky be split into half if this goes on?"
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Close When I was growing up in Singapore, my grandfather read me Chinese stories of adventurers journeying to the west. He told me stories about the Monkey King, a beloved fictional character in Chinese literature.
As I listened to all these wonderful tales as a child I had trouble discerning the mythical fairy tales from adventurous realities.
Occasionally my grandfather would tell me stories of famous people and the feats they accomplished on the other side of the world, away from Singapore. One such person he talked about was Ben Franklin , a myth in his own proportions.
Who was Ben Franklin?When I started middle school in Singapore, I asked a teacher, "Who's Benjamin Franklin?" He told me that besides being one of the founding fathers of America, Franklin was a very unfortunate scientist. He was electrocuted so badly during one of his experiments that he couldn't stop speaking in riddles after that!
My teacher added that another experiment rendered him so ill that he was doomed to work at a post office for the rest of his life!
Close I've since learned a lot about Franklin, who celebrated his 300th birthday on January 17, 2006. We all know that he helped write the Declaration of Independence and was one of the signers, but do you know that he was also...
Silence Dogood
Capturing the Lightning
Page 2
Capturing the Lightning, page 2
2002 copyright Jigyungsa Ltd, Korea.
Translation: - When there is lightning and thunder there is a danger of being struck.
Franklin: "Someone has been killed by lightning!" "Even the house has fallen!" "Oh heavens!" - Franklin: "What exactly is lightning?" "Is it possible to avoid this danger?"
- After repeated research Franklin finally understood that lightning was basically electricity. Franklin: "Apparently sharp things can absorb electricity better."
- When he was young Benjamin Franklin loved to fly kites. This gave him the inspirational idea of attaching a metal piece to a kite. Franklin: "I will use this kite to catch the lightning!"
- On a rainy day he conducted a dangerous experiment. Franklin: "Fly kite, fly!"
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Close When Franklin was 15, his brother started a newspaper that printed opinion articles, advertisements and news of ship schedules. Young Franklin, an avid writer, wanted to contribute to the newspaper too, but he knew his brother would never allow it.
To get around this problem Franklin wrote articles under the pseudonym Silence Dogood, a fictional widow. Every night he would slide an article underneath the print shop door, to be printed in the morning.
The articles addressed important world issues, especially concerning the treatment of women. The public, especially women, loved them!
His talent with words was further revealed when he published Poor Richard's Almanac, a book of commonsense philosophy, which was filled with universally recognized truths called maxims.
Poor Richard's Almanac
Cover of the 1753 edition.Close
Franklin published Poor Richard's Almanac yearly from 1732 to 1757. Franklin used the name Poor Richard in the title instead of his real name.
His almanac was a best seller for a pamphlet published in the American colonies; print runs typically ran to 10,000 per year.
Poor Richard's Almanac contained a calendar, weather predictions, poetry, and astronomical and astrological information.
It's mostly remembered for being a repository of Franklin's maxims, which typically counsel thrift and courtesy, with just a dash of cynicism.
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