A Fascinating Man by Ashlyn

Ashlynof Havelock's entry into Varsity Tutor's February 2016 scholarship contest

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Ashlyn of Havelock, NC
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A Fascinating Man by Ashlyn - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

Benjamin Franklin was a fascinating man! If I wanted to talk to someone to learn from on a variety of subjects, he would be the one. If I could choose to have dinner with anybody in history, it would be Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin was involved in many activities. He was “The First American”, being a major contributor to helping the original 13 colonies achieve independence from Great Brittan. He was a contributing author of the Declaration of Independence and wrote many political essays on the importance of independence. Also as a politician, Franklin was the first Ambassador to France.

His writing extended beyond politics, however. He also published the Poor Richard’s Almanack, the Historical Chronicle for all the British Plantations in American and General Magazine. Much of his writing was done using pseudonyms, and there may be other writings by Franklin that have not been attributed to him because of that.

His contributions to science and his inventions helped move the world toward the modern day. Among other things, he invented the catheter, bifocal glasses, the lightning rod, the Franklin Stove, and even swim fins! It’s amazing that he could come up with ideas for this wide variety of inventions!

When he was the Postmaster in Philadelphia, he devised a way to figure out how far the postal carriages traveled on their routes by inventing the odometer.

However, he is often wrongly credited with “inventing” Daylight Savings Time.

As a scientist, Franklin helped “harness electricity”, and he mapped the Gulf Stream after wondering why boat trips from America to England were faster than those back to America. He contributed to the emerging science of meteorology by realizing that storms didn’t always move from the west.

I recently read that Franklin didn’t patent any of his inventions so that everyone could enjoy the benefits of each one.

It seems like just about anything that Benjamin Franklin experienced resulted in an invention, a scientific discovery, an article, or something else. To have a mind able to think in all those different directions is amazing. The phrase “inquiring minds want to know” could definitely be applied to Benjamin Franklin.

I believe it would be great to get to know Benjamin Franklin, to hear his views on how he thinks the United States and the world has developed since his time, and to pick his brain on other subjects. Having dinner with him and spending time with him would be a fascinating experience.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

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