The number of terms Franklin is thought to have come up with to describe electricity, including “battery” and “charge”
Numbers in the News: Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. Check out some facts about this Founding Father, scientist, and inventor.
RESEARCHERS HISTORY/GETTY IMAGES
25
0
The number of patents Franklin held. Patents would have given him sole rights to his inventions, but he felt they should be shared freely.
SCIENCE & SOCIETY PICTURE LIBRARY/GETTY IMAGES
7 MILLION
About how many pairs of bifocal and trifocal lenses are sold in the U.S. yearly. Franklin invented split-lens glasses to help people see near and far.
FAIRFAX MEDIA VIA GETTY IMAGES
11 YEARS OLD
The age at which Franklin created “swim fins”—paddles strapped to The hands to help swim faster
THINK ABOUT IT: Research one of Franklin’s other inventions, like the long arm or the glass harmonica. Is the invention still in use today?
SOURCES: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: AN AMERICAN LIFE BY WALTER ISAACSON, THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, STATISTA, THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
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