To get a sense of Franklin’s diverse interests, consider the letters this polymath wrote in a single month while in London supposedly busy negotiating with British ministers. In one lengthy note, he described the threat of lead poisoning among tradesman

The Genius of Benjamin Franklin

Richard Munson’s 3 greatest revelations while writing Ingenious, his biography of Franklin, the scientist.

• By Richard Munson
• December 31, 2024

Franklin Used Humor to Engage the Public

Franklin Was the Very Definition of a Polymath

Science Advanced Franklin’s Patriotism

To get a sense of Franklin’s diverse interests, consider the letters this polymath wrote in a single month while in London supposedly busy negotiating with British ministers. In one lengthy note, he described the threat of lead poisoning among tradesman who handled the heavy metal. To other colleagues, he outlined the management of silkworms, and he forwarded several plants and seeds never seen before in America, including Scotch kale. Additional letters touched on sunspots, magnetism, new ways to produce carriage wheels, the purification of air by vegetation, and a census in China.

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