“Benjamin Franklin lived his life in the spirit of a renaissance man: he was deeply interested in the world around him, and he excelled in several widely differing fields of human endeavor.” (“Home”). Franklin was born in Boston of 1706 where he was raised in a poor family and was unable to have an education for more than two years. At age 12, he was apprenticed by his older brother who worked in a printing business. Benjamin later became successful in the printing business and soon became successful through his inventions as well. Later, he also became involved in politics and became one of the founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin made significant impacts on America with his inventions and politics.
Besides being one of the Founding Fathers of America, Franklin was well-known for his magnificent inventions. One of Franklin’s most famous inventions is the lighting rod. “May not the knowledge of this power of points be of use to mankind, in preserving houses, churches, ships, etc., from the stroke of lightning, by directing us to fix, on the highest part of those edifices, upright rods of iron made sharp as a needle...Would not these pointed rods probably draw the electrical fire silently out of a cloud before it came nigh enough to strike, and thereby secure us from that most sudden and terrible mischief!” (Franklin qtd. in “Benjamin”). The lighting rod is a metal rod that prevents lighting from striking buildings, protecting the people inside. Franklin’s lighting rod is