History Channel - Modern Marvels: Ben Franklin Tech

The oldest and wisest of America's Founding Fathers, he is perhaps most famous as a man of wit and words. Yet Dr. Benjamin Franklin was also one of history's greatest scientists. Celebrating ingenuity, invention and imagination brought to life on a grand scale, MODERN MARVELS® tells the fascinating stories of the doers, dreamers and sometime-schemers who created everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man-made wonders. Mentor to Jefferson, diplomat extraordinaire, and noted printer, Ben Franklin was a man of many talents, and perhaps none were so celebrated as his scientific skills. From the humble Pennsylvania Stove to the spectacular lightning rod--Franklin was concerned with putting scientific principals to practical use. MODERN MARVELS® explores his many inventions, investigating his breakthroughs, deflating some fanciful tales, and tracing a life of invention that would have been extraordinary even if he had not helped to "bring forth a new nation"!