3/4: Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist Hardcover – November 12, 2024 by Richard Munson (Author)
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 19 December 2024
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
by Richard Munson (Author)
https://www.amazon.com/Ingenious-Biography-Benjamin-Franklin-Scientist/dp/0393882233
Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds, and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his political prowess and diplomatic achievements than his scientific creativity.
In this incisive and rich account of Benjamin Franklin’s life and career, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin’s story, reveals his modern relevance, and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator, and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence.
Munson’s riveting narrative explores how science underpins Franklin’s entire story―from tradesman to inventor to nation-founder―and argues that Franklin’s political life cannot be understood without giving proper credit to his scientific accomplishments.
8 pages of illustrations
1800 Free Masonry
Transcript
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| 1:05.5 | Richard Munson, whose new book is Ingenius, a biography of Benjamin Franklin scientist. |
| 1:11.8 | Yes, there's the patriot, there's the landowner, there's a successful businessman, |
| 1:17.4 | there's the printer, he's in the assembly, but eventually he'll get tossed out of the |
| 1:22.3 | assembly by his enemies. |
| 1:24.1 | He has many of them who think that he takes credit for other people's work and that he's |
| 1:29.5 | led a low life. There's lots of defamation. He struggled with that, but he was always busy in his lab. |
| 1:37.5 | And what did he do in his lab? And what about that kite? Richard, it's a great pleasure to go through |
| 1:43.5 | the steps up to the kite, especially because |
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