Besides being a publisher and great statesman, did you know that Benjamin Franklin was an inventor? Benjamin Franklin invented improvements to swim fins, bifocals, a glass armonica, watertight bulkheads for ships, the lightning rod, an odometer, and the wood stove (called the Franklin stove).

• Photo Gallery: Inventions and Scientific Achievements of Benjamin Franklin

The Myth about Benjamin Franklin
Yes, Benjamin Franklin did study electricity and he did invent the lightening rod. However he was not the first person to discover electricity. Benjamin Franklin began his experiments on electricity after he heard a lecture about it in Scotland in 1743. In 1751 he published his book about his electrical experiments. Illustration: LOC