Scientist and inventor.How much do you know about Benjamin Franklin's inventions? Read the story below, paying careful attention to the words and phrases Words and Phrases® A multivolume set of law books published by West Group containing thousands of judicial definitions of words and phrases, arranged alphabetically, from 1658 to the present. that appear in boldface. Then try to find all 20 of them in this puzzle grid. They appear horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, backward as well as forward. Long before Ben Franklin took up the cause of American independence, he was known as a scientist, an inventor, and a scholar. He was famous throughout Europe and America for his experiments with electricity and his invention of the lightning rod lightning rod, a rod made of materials, especially metals, that are good conductors of electricity, which is mounted on top of a building or other structure and attached to the ground by a cable. . People knew that electricity, existed, but they didn't understand it. Franklin devoted several years to studying it. Figuring out how to store its power, he invented the electric battery. In 1749, Franklin discovered that lightning's energy could be channeled safely to the ground. In his 1752 experiment, he proved that lightning was a form of electricity. He is said to have flown a silk kite that had a metal wire at the top and a metal key attached to the string. With the knowledge he gained, Franklin invented the lightning rod. It has saved countless lives by preventing devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. fires--once commonplace--caused by lightning strikes to buildings. Franklin had long been interested in preventing deadly fires. In 1736, he had organized the first fire department, to put out flames quickly enough to keep them from spreading to other buildings. He also invented the Franklin stove, a cast-iron stove that heated much more efficiently than an open fireplace. Franklin never sought patents for his inventions. He wanted his creations to benefit the public and be available to everyone. A Knack for Knowledge Franklin had little formal schooling. His discoveries and inventions were born of curiosity, a love of reading, and careful study of the world around him. At age 12, he taught himself to swim by following directions in a book. Then, to swim even better, he invented flipperlike paddles for his hands and feet. A firm believer in the value of reading, Franklin created the Library Company of Philadelphia The Library Company of Philadelphia is a non-profit institution that has accumulated one of the United States' richest collections of manuscript and printed materials. The Mayflower Compact, major collections of 17th century and Revolutionary War-era pamphlets and ephemera, maps in 1731. It was the first lending library lend·ing library n. A library from which books may be borrowed or rented for a minimal fee. Also called circulating library. Noun 1. in the Colonies. As postmaster postmaster - The electronic mail contact and maintenance person at a site connected to the Internet or UUCPNET. Often, but not always, the same as the admin. The Internet standard for electronic mail (RFC 822) requires each machine to have a "postmaster" address; usually it is , he improved the postal system postal system System that allows persons to send letters, parcels, or packages to addressees in the same country or abroad. Postal systems are usually government-run and paid for by a combination of user charges and government subsidies. for the city and, later, throughout the Colonies. Why did sailing from America to England take less time than going the opposite way? That question led Franklin to study and chart the Gulf Stream, a strong ocean current that flows along the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. coast from the Caribbean Sea Caribbean Sea (kâr'ĭbē`ən, kərĭb`ēən), tropical sea, c.970,000 sq mi (2,512,950 sq km), arm of the Atlantic Ocean, Central America. and Florida Gulf to Newfoundland, Canada. Have you ever made sounds by rubbing a wet finger around the rim of a glass? Franklin used that idea to invent the armonica, a musical instrument made of glass, that worked in a similar fashion. At age 79, Franklin designed his last great invention: "double spectacles," which we call bifocals. Still used today, they enable wearers to see well both near and far. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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