Inventor · 1706 – 1790
Benjamin Franklin
Helped found the United States, conducted pioneering experiments on electricity, invented practical devices from the lightning rod to bifocals, and secured the crucial French alliance during the American Revolution.
Greatest Achievements
- Signed the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
- Invented the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove.
- Negotiated the alliance with France that helped win the Revolution.
Major Accomplishments
- Signed the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
- Invented the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove.
- Negotiated the alliance with France that helped win the Revolution.
Scientific Breakthroughs
- Demonstrated that lightning is a form of electricity.
- Introduced concepts and terms still used in electrical science.
Impact Analysis
Franklin embodied the Enlightenment ideal of the self-made, rational, public-spirited individual, and his scientific and diplomatic achievements shaped both the new United States and the study of electricity.
Historical influence score: 90/100