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Stealing God's Thunder: Benjamin Franklin's Lightning Rod and the Invention of America

door Philip Dray

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A biography of Benjamin Franklin viewed through the lens of his scientific inquiry and its ramifications for American democracy. Today we think of Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklin's day it was otherwise--long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work, especially his experiments with lightning and electricity. Pulitzer Prize finalist Dray uses the evolution of Franklin's scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for America's struggle to establish its fundamental values. Set against the backdrop of the Enlightenment and America's pursuit of political equality for all, the book recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day.--From publisher description.… (meer)

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This is one of the best biographies I've read, along with [b:Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman|10414941|Catherine the Great Portrait of a Woman|Robert K. Massie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403395276s/10414941.jpg|15319151], [b:The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo|13330922|The Black Count Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo|Tom Reiss|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337693786s/13330922.jpg|18538602], and [b:Columbus: The Four Voyages|11510594|Columbus The Four Voyages|Laurence Bergreen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311705071s/11510594.jpg|16446591]. I'm just assuming these books are historically accurate. But this one added quite a bit to my basic knowledge of Ben Franklin, including his personal opinions on the hot button political issues of his era, such as the Enlightenment, steam power versus electricity, and slavery.

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Abby_Goldsmith | Feb 10, 2016 |

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Voltaire "François-Marie Arouet", 1694-1778

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Pennsylvania, USA

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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In the Affairs of the World, Men are saved, not by Faith, but by the Want of it. (Poor Richard's Almanac, 1754)

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From the introduction: One day in April, 1755, Benjamin Franklin was riding on a country lane in Maryland with his son, William, and some other gentlemen, when he suddenly saw in the valley below "a small whirlwind beginning in the road, and showing itself by the dust it raised... The rest of the company stood looking after it, but my curiosity being stronger, I followed it, riding close by its side."

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Philip Dray

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A biography of Benjamin Franklin viewed through the lens of his scientific inquiry and its ramifications for American democracy. Today we think of Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklin's day it was otherwise--long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work, especially his experiments with lightning and electricity. Pulitzer Prize finalist Dray uses the evolution of Franklin's scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for America's struggle to establish its fundamental values. Set against the backdrop of the Enlightenment and America's pursuit of political equality for all, the book recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day.--From publisher description.

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