The Science and Technology of Ben Franklin by Alicia Klepeis

Author:Alicia Klepeis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nomad Press

WORDS TO KNOW

long arm: a mechanical arm invented by Ben Franklin that was used to reach books on high shelves.

arthritis: a medical condition that causes swollen joints, stiffness, and pain.

The house that Benjamin Franklin designed was torn down in 1812. In its place, a new street and a number of smaller houses were built. But you can see the outline of where the house stood at the Franklin Court site.

REACHING THOSE BOOKS!

Ben Franklin loved to read, so, perhaps not surprisingly, he invented a special piece of furniture that helped with this hobby. Sometime between 1760 and 1780, Franklin invented what is now known as his library chair. One side of Franklin’s chair had a seat for sitting, but when the seat was turned over, a small step ladder was revealed. After Franklin was done with a book, he could flip the seat over, climb the stepladder, and put the book back on the shelf—even a relatively high shelf. Clever!

“I hardly know how to justify building a LIBRARY AT AN AGE that will so soon oblige me to quit it; but we are apt to forget that we are grown old, and Building is an Amusement.”

—Benjamin Franklin

In his old age, Benjamin Franklin didn’t feel safe climbing up steps to get his books off the high shelves. So, what did he do? In 1786, he came up with the long arm, designed to reach books located on high shelves. It had two finger-like grippers attached to the end of a pipe or piece of wood. You opened or closed the grippers by pulling on a cord.

Franklin was quite proud of this handy invention. He wrote up a super-detailed description of the long arm. Drawings? Check. Diagrams? Check. His writings on the long arm also included tips for how to build it—right down to the 8-foot-long piece of wood, the size of the wood screws he used, and the width of the cord to pull the grippers closed.

Franklin was also pleased that, unlike many other new tools, the long arm was easy to master.

Are long arms still in use? You bet! They are not often seen in libraries, but cleanup crews often use stainless steel versions of Franklin’s long arm to pick up trash along highways. Some folks who have arthritis use similar devices to reduce the strain on their joints when gripping objects. Long arms can also be helpful for adults who are shorter than average.

When Franklin died in 1790, he owned about 4,276 BOOKS. His grandson William Temple Franklin (1760–1823) sold many of them after Franklin’s death.

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