Week 31 History Essay

           This week I learned about the lightning rod, Benjamin Franklin, the glass harmonica, and the swivel chair. The lightning rod was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1752. It is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. Benjamin Franklin was a prolific inventor, businessman, statesman, and scientist who lived 1706-1790. He is most known for being the only founding father who signed all three documents that freed America from Britain. The glass harmonica was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. The glass harmonica is not like a harmonica we think of today. It is made from different sizes of glass bowls or goblets, and they make a musical sound using friction. Last, I learned about the swivel chair, which was invented by another founding father named Thomas Jefferson in 1775. The swivel chair is a chair that has a pole or rod that allows it to turn all the way around. We still use them today, but many of them have wheels too. Those are the things that I learned about this week. My favorite one was Benjamin Franklin because I thought he was most interesting to learn about.