In 2006 we celebrate the 300th birthday of Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin's discoveries concerning lightning rods, thunderstorms and electricity made him one of the most respected figures of his time. His publication of "Experiments and Observations on Electricity" in London (1751) paved the way for his diplomatic triumph in France during the American Revolution.
This is one of his lightning rods now at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
On receiving the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Gray was invited to hold one of Franklin's lightning rods. Certainly Franklin was lucky to have survived the dangerous experiments.
Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. He was the 15th and youngest son of a poor but disciplined candlemaker. He wrote the final pages of his famous biography just before his death on April 17, 1790.