412 The Franklin Stove

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

Earlyrepublic, History, Benfranklin, Society & Culture, Warforindependence, Earlyamericanrepublic, Earlyamericanhistory, Education, Colonialamerica, Americanrevolution, Ushistory, Benjaminfranklin

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It might surprise you, but in the 18th century, people across the globe were reckoning with colder-than-usual weather brought on by the Little Ice Age—a centuries-long chill that made heating homes more urgent than ever. At the same time, early Americans were cutting down trees at an unsustainable pace to stay warm. Enter Benjamin Franklin. In this episode, Harvard historian Joyce Chaplin joins us to explore how Franklin tackled this problem by designing five different stove models, and what these innovations reveal about early American science, sustainability, and life with fire. Joyce’s Website | Book Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/412 RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 015: Round About the Earth: Circumnavigation from Magellan to Orbit🎧 Episode 086: Benjamin Franklin in London🎧 Episode 169: The Religious Life of Benjamin Franklin🎧 Episode 189: The Little Ice Age🎧 Episode 207: Young Benjamin Franklin🎧 Episode 397: Native Nations REQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 [email protected] WHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community LISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 Pandora CONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s Website SAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The five-pound meal deal from McDonald's.
0:02.7	Get a cheeseburger or mayo chicken, medium fries, four McNuggets, and a medium soft drink for guess what?
0:08.4	That's right, five pounds.
0:11.2	It's not called the five-pound meal deal for nothing.
0:14.8	From 11 a.m., not available on delivery.
0:16.8	Carbonated soft drink upgrade fees apply.
0:18.3	Participating restaurants, subjects, availability.
0:21.2	Welcome to those who can't teach anymore, a narrative podcast series that explores why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to stop the Exodus.
0:29.6	This season, we're getting a look at the year and the life of teachers from across the country through their audio journals.
0:36.2	I am Darcy Aftram Miller.
0:37.7	This is Megan Obergoff.
0:38.5	This is Sophie V.
0:39.3	This is Charlie Blackwood.
0:40.2	This is Taylor Barrett.
0:41.1	This is David Whisker.
0:43.4	Dan Morris.
0:44.3	This is Amanda Smith.
0:45.1	Look for those who can't teach anymore, season two.
0:47.6	A different kind of the same thing.
0:50.4	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
0:54.2	But he did think that there should be better stewardship of the resources and conserving trees with something that all colonists should be engaged with.
1:05.1	So in one of his almanacs, he publishes the scheme of a friend to really have kind of modern forestry that certain kinds of trees are preserved or even planted and then harvested very, very carefully. So this is an ongoing concern of his. How many trees do we have left? What is the fuel situation?
	...

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