VIDEO: Snatching Lightning—Benjamin Franklin

National Association of Scholars

Benjamin Franklin was a prolific inventor, and he excelled at turning his ideas into practical, publicly useful endeavors. From the Franklin Stove, to his campaign for public lighting, to his work harnessing electricity, Franklin was a key figure in harnessing energies for public use.

How did Benjamin Franklin develop his ideas? How did his inventions affect daily life for people of that day?

This event features E. Philip Krider, Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona School of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences and author; and Hal Wallace, Curator of the Electricity Collections at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.


Photo by Lee Junda on Unsplash

  • Share

Most Commented

May 20, 2025

1.

How Female is Campus Anti-Semitism?

The anecdotal evidence is starting to pile up while academia’s thesis that white men are source of evil continues to crumble....

March 31, 2025

2.

Keeping Watch

Columbia's descent into chaos is by its own hand. Actions to right the university must be swift and tough....

March 24, 2025

3.

A Reckoning for Higher Education?

Are American colleges and universities finally getting their comeuppance?...

Most Read

May 20, 2025

1.

How Female is Campus Anti-Semitism?

The anecdotal evidence is starting to pile up while academia’s thesis that white men are source of evil continues to crumble....

May 15, 2015

2.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

April 30, 2025

3.

In Memoriam: David Horowitz

We celebrate and remember the life of David Horowitz, a champion of intellectual freedom and truth-telling during a long era of lies, collective self-deception, and institutional malfea......