Naturalist's Almanac

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. During the next 84 years he engaged in so many activities, it’s difficult to decide what to call him. One thing I haven’t heard him called is a naturalist, but he actually spent quite a bit of time observing the natural world.

The most sensational of his observations involved flying a kite in a thunderstorm, but he wasn’t always so foolhardy. One of his safer interests was astronomy. In a journal he kept while he was sailing across the Atlantic at age 20, he describes a night rainbow caused by the moon, a partial solar eclipse, and a partial lunar eclipse.

Seventeen years later Franklin was still paying attention to eclipses. At 9:00 p.m. on November 2, 1743, he went outside his home in Philadelphia to observe a lunar eclipse, but he missed it because of a storm. Soon the storm itself began to interest him.

Shortly after he missed the eclipse, Franklin read an account of clear viewings in Boston. He decided to write to fellow observers throughout the Northeast to determine the path of the storm, its speed, and its direction. Franklin was the first to describe the typical track of northeastern storms.

In addition to astronomy and meteorology, Franklin was also interested in botany. He shared his observations of plants with his friend John Bartram, who had established the first botanical garden in the colonies. Franklin eventually became a botanical middleman, procuring seeds of rhubarb, oats, barley, peas, cabbage and kohlrabi for Bartram to experiment with in his garden.

Franklin crossed the Atlantic six times between 1757 and 1785, which got him paying close attention to the ocean. He spent much of his last three voyages observing the Gulf Stream, which he had earlier named and mapped. He kept detailed records of air temperature, water temperature, and wind direction, and also noted the weed content and color of the water.

Calling Franklin a naturalist would be stretching it, but perhaps we could call him a polymath—a lover of learning—which is what he called himself during the twenty-five years he published Poor Richard’s Almanack. Benjamin Franklin was indeed a polymath—a polymath with a special fondness for learning about the natural world.

MORE INFORMATION

Franklin Institute
http://www.fi.edu/franklin/rotten.html

The Franklin Institute offers a wealth of information on Benjamin Franklin. They have separate pages devoted to his contributions as a scientist, inventor, statesman, printer philosopher, musician, and economist. They also answer a long list of Frequently asked Questions.

Thinkquest - Benjamin Franklin
http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/mainframe.htm

This award-winning, student-created site is full of well-researched information about Benjamin Franklin. It includes a biography, a discussion of his inventions, a list of quotations, a page of interesting facts, and other information.
Benajmin Franklin - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

Wikipedia’s long article includes some good graphics including several famous portraits of Benjamin Franklin, a statue of him, his autograph, the one hundred dollar bill, and his grave. The article is followed by a list of sources and references plus numerous external links.