Stealing God's Thunder: Benjamin Franklin's Lightning Rod and the Invention of America
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.93 (813 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0812968107 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 304 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-04-09 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Dray elegantly observes that Franklin was the first to espouse an atomic theory of electricity, which he saw as an elemental force of nature contained in all objects. . Dray provides not only a masterful glimpse of this aspect of Franklin's work but also a captivating cultural history of Franklin's America. He established a rodlike device on a hill that attracted lightning from a passing thunderstorm and conducted the current away from houses and farms and into the ground. He began his experiments with electricity in the mid–18th century, when numerous European scientists were similarly
He recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day, the seemingly unknowable powers of lightning and electricity. Pulitzer Prize finalist Philip Dray uses the evolution of Franklin’s scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for America’s struggle to establish its fundamental values. Rich in historical detail and based on numerous primary sources, Stealing God’s Thunder is a fascinating original look at one of our most beloved and complex founding fathers.. “Dray captures the genius and ingenuity of Franklin’s scientific thinking and then does something even more fascinating: He shows how science shaped his diplomacy, politics, and Enlightenment philosophy.”–Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American LifeToday we think of Benjamin Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklin’s day, the era of Enlightenment, long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work
Enjoyable from start to finish I have read several books on Franklin, and so even with much knowledge going into reading this one I found the work to be thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.The author does a good job of giving a basic biographical background while staying on the central theme of the discover. When Reason Energized a Nation Stephen Ferg From The Washington Post book review, []Reviewed by H.W. BrandsSunday, August 7, 2005; BW03The concept of degeneration in American political history is so broadly accepted as to be almost unchallengeable. In the days of the Founding, giants walked the earth; Washington, Franklin, Je. Franklin the scientist. Most biographies of Benjamin Franklin tend to focus on his role as statesman as opposed to his role as scientist. Given the impact he had on the raod to independence and nationhood for the U.S. this is entirely understandable. However, he was in his time revered as much for his impa