“if we lived long enough and were good enough, God might permit us to be pirates.” Mark Twain
After going through the Pirates exhibit at the Franklin Institute, I’m about to agree. It was so well done and such fun to follow the story the sinking of the pirate ship, Whydah, and captain Sam Bellamy (1717) that I’m ready to sign up. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Even though it was not related directly to Franklin and his life, this had to be a highlight of the day. I learned more about pirate ships and how they affected trade than I’d ever known before and it was fascinating how pirates made their life and their living. I enjoyed learning about the pirate’s code of honor as well as how they split the booty. If we’d been allowed to take pictures, I definitely would have taken one with the treasure chests overflowing with silver pieces, but many of the other items were fascinating, too, including the items that over time had been cemented together into large rusted lumps.
Other than that, Franklin as a scientist was fascinating. After his 30 year career as a printer, he focused on both his political life and that of a scientist. Not exactly in a linear way. I believe he always was a scientist and approached life with a curiosity about almost everything, mixing a desire to solve practical problems with a genius to figure out how to make things work. He was a keen observer of nature and was able to use those observations in his discoveries. In the Franklin Hall, we saw models of his first electrical experiments and also models for other things including an apparatus to demonstrate “timing” and for the first time I understood the purpose of a timing light on an automobile, or at least old cars used to have these. I’m clueless about what they have now with all of the electronic stuff.
Franklin was a genius by any standard. It is said he was the best known American in the world because of his discovery of electricity. He also was well read, well written, and well-liked especially in France where he was presented with a sword by Louis the XVI, and a set of tea cups by one of his lady friends. These were among the artifacts shown to us by the curator of the institute. Other items included a lightning rod made by Franklin, a book written by him and printed in 1751, his own personal silver tankard and the glass tube sent to Franklin from the English merchant and scientist, Peter Collinson. We also saw money printed in Franklin’s print shop after he partnered up with David Hall. Besides the denomination on the money, the words “To Counterfeit is Death” were printed on the bills. This is probably a good place to end this blog. Franklin, himself, was a one of a kind man…a leather-apron man and more. Any reproduction would be a counterfeit.
