I live in the tallest condo building in my little town and I wondered "do we have lightning rods?". Please correct me if I am wrong, but he invented them.

I just finished Atkinson's The Fate Of The Day and learned that he was somewhat responsible for sending John Paul Jones to his dramatic encounter with Serapis.

He was the first to print a chart of the gulf stream. He wrote a brilliant Autobiography. He brought France into the war with us. He wrote Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress. He founded the institution that completed my education: the University of Pennsylvania.

Personal anecdote: I used to live in the Old City section of Philadelphia, near what was called High Street in Franklin's time. One day in the churchyard of Christ Church, a couple came up to me and asked "Excuse me sir, do you know where Franklin's house is located?" I smiled and showed them the book I was reading, Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin: An American Life.

Many would argue that Washington was more important. Perhaps he was. But the variety of Franklin's accomplishments was absolutely stunning.

"He snatched lightning from the sky and the scepter from tyrants" -Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot,