Dear WW: In another thread which I cannot find easily, you mentioned Ben Franklin inventing a pole with a clamp on top, closed by a string attached to a lever , for getting books down from a high shelf. I have seen them, both in old libraries, but also in old grocery stores for taking cans down off high shelf. I never heard of a name for them, but I found a site about Ben Franklin, telling of all the very important things he did, which too few Americans remember. Here is a list of some of his inventions:
In addition to the busybody, Franklin stove, and glass harmonica,
Ben Franklin's inventions include:
The library stepstool, a chair whose seat could be lifted and
folded down to make a short ladder
Mechanical arm for reaching books on high shelves (still used
in many grocery stores)
The rocking chair (when he fitted the legs of his armchair with
curved pieces of wood)
The "writing chair" -- a type of chair with an "arm" on one side
to provide a writing surface (still used in many classrooms)
The odometer, used to measure distance along colonial roads
used by the postal service
A new kind of ship's anchor
A candle made from whale oil that made a clear white light
and lasted much longer than tallow candles.
A pulley system that enabled him to lock and unlock his
bedroom door from his bed
An improved streetlight by fitting it with four panes of glass
and piercing the top and bottom to allow for ventilation
Bifocal spectacles -- Ben thought of the idea when he was
eating dinner and he noted that if he could see the food on his
plate clearly he could not see the face of the person sitting
across from him. With bifocals, he could use one pair of
glasses for two purposes.
wwh: Many thanks for the list of Franklinian inventions. The rocking chair was the most surprising to hear about. Wonder why we don't hear the term "Franklin rocker" tossed about to and fro?
Best regards,
WW
My dad was in the US Corps of Engineers under General Patton in WWII. He has described to me an odograph used in mapping out roads that weren't on maps. He said that, in driving over foreign terrain, when they came upon a road not on the map, they would drive the vehicle on the unmapped road, and the odograph would record the road on the map, curves, turns, and all.
WW
Didn't Ben Franklin also invent the lightning rod, wwh? I think the idea came to him in a blinding bolt of inspiration while flying a kite.
Dear Wordminstrel: Good to see you posting. And a very important addition. Ben Franklin was a very remarkable man. His achievements as ambassador to France were greater than anyone else available could have accomplished. Without the help of the French which he obtained, the Revolution probably would have failed. His scientific work was an important part of the French admiration of him. It helped gain him entree into the highest levels of the influential people he needed to know to achieve his goals as ambassador.
Without the help of the French which he obtained, the Revolution probably would have failed.
Agree, wwh. And following the same line of reasoning, we have Ben Franklin to thank for the Statue of Liberty which was a gift from France in honor of the Revolution. Now, here is a question for you, dear wwh. Who was the the heroine (real or imagined) who served as the model for the Statue of Liberty? And, pray tell, is the story of Ben Franklin's inspiration for the lightning rod folklore or fact? Indeed, did Ben invent the lightning rod? Back to you, wwh.
Dear Wordminstrel: I have never heard any dispute about Franklin's invention of the lightning rod. If I remember correctly, he had observed "St.Elmo's Fire" either at sea or from tall buildings, and realized that it represented a dissipation of an electrical charge into the atmosphere. A lightning rod would also make a harmless route to the ground for a lightning stroke, preventing damage to the building.
With regard to the Statue of Liberty, I found a link that tells a great deal about its conception and creation. The sculptor was said to have denied that any human model had been used. The link is good reading.
http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/sl/history/liberty.htmlAnother link, about Franlin that says he invented the lightning rod.
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/inventor.html
Dr. Bill, that is an interesting link about the Statue of Liberty. Too bad the two countries don't get along so well now.
Dear Jackie: I have thought about that a great deal. I suppose the French resented having to repay the money we probably lent them to buy munitions for the war, and resented even more our post-war prosperity and the conduct of American spendthrift expatriates, while the French economy recovered only very slowly.
Before WWI, my grandfather bought medical instruments from France. My father bought nothing from France. Nor have I, except Bic pens. I know several people who bitterly regretted buying French cars.It must gall (sic) them that we buy so much from the Japanese and so little from them.
The sculptor was said to have denied that any human model had been used.
I have heard it said that the inspiration for the lady holding the torch, whether the sculptor was conscious of it or not, was Delacroix's painting of "Liberty Leading the People" painted in 1830 and now hanging in the Louvre. Construction of the Statue began in France in 1875 so Bartholdi would certainly have known of Delacroix's painting at that time. And the formal title of the Statue, "Liberty Enlightening the World", personifies "Liberty" just as Delacroix's painting did. Have you seen "Liberty" in Delacroix's painting? Her right arm holds the French Tricolor aloft just as the Lady of Ellis Island holds the torch of freedom aloft. Please visit this link and judge the resemblance for yourself?
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/delacroix/liberte/
Dear Wordminstrel: Delacroix may deserve credit for representing Liberty as a beautiful woman, but his Liberty is leading people into battle: Bartholdi's Liberty is welcoming immigrants to peace and freedom.
I am interested in quote from your link about the "Phrygian cap" being symbolic of Liberty. Now I've got to go look that up.
I found an interesting site about the Phrygian cap, but couldn't find quote suitable to post here. But I believe you will find a lot of good stuff in the site: You have to scroll down a ways:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maps-forum/message/2359
I found an interesting site about the Phrygian cap
Interesting, indeed, wwh. History is plundered no less unconscionably for its its allusions as it is for its artifacts. Just as the Liberty Cap was appropriated by the French revolutionaries, so, it seems, the iron ring was appropriated by our engineers. To wit (from your source):
The iron ring that initiates wore is reminiscent of that iron ring
worn by Prometheus to remind him of his chains after his release by
Herakles.
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/images/rod.jpgFrom the link wwh provided, here's a direct link to a rod believed to have been one of Franklin's This rod appears to have been well used and many times struck (or conducted). There's a statue dimly seen in the background of the photograph that is most likely Franklin. Elementary school kids (some of 'em) have real problems in winnowing out Franklin's name in the roll call of presidents. These kids are determined to make him one.