Hôtel de Valentinois

Ben’s home for almost the entire time that he was in France was the home of Jacques and Marie-Thérèse Leray in Passy.  He was an aristocrat and prominent businessman with connections to the Court of King Louis XVI. She was from a noble background, mother of their five children, and homemaker at the estate.  They…

Franklin’s glass armonica and other inventions

Ben Franklin’s Inventions and Inventiveness Other than as a Founding Father of America, Benjamin Franklin is probably best known for his experiments with electricity. No, he didn’t invent electricity. He did find ways to characterize and tame it. He invented the lightning rod so that buildings and ships would be better protected from damage. But did…