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      Mental Floss

      BEN FRANKLIN

      Lightning strikes over the Freedom Tower (a.k.a. One World Trade Center) in New York City.

      Did Ben Franklin Really Invent the Lightning Rod?

      Ben Franklin’s famous experiment with the kite and key gave him a better understanding of the nature of electricity. But did that event lead to the lightning rod?

      Shaunacy Ferro

      Benjamin Franklin left instructions in his will that had to be followed for 200 years.

      How a 200-Year-Old Gift From Benjamin Franklin Made Boston and Philadelphia a Fortune

      When Benjamin Franklin died in 1790, he left a small sum of money to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia with one condition: That they not spend it in full for 200 years.

      Jake Rossen

      Ji-Elle, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 

      Benjamin Franklin and History's Most Dangerous Musical Instrument

      The glass armonica was Benjamin Franklin's biggest contribution to the world of music—and then it started to kill people.

      Lucas Reilly



      iStock

      Scientists Sequence Bumblebee Genome To Explain Population Decline

      Hannah Keyser


      11 Amazing Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Benjamin Franklin

      Before he was a Founding Father, the multifaceted, ever-experimental Benjamin Franklin was a great many other things—from street performer to political cartoonist, and even a middle-aged widow. Here are a few highlights of Franklin’s early days.

      Editorial Staff


      YouTube / The Office Time Machine

      The Office Time Machine

      Chris Higgins
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