Ben is big in Philly. His statue is on top of City Hall (see pictures above) and he has his own museum. His good reputation persists without the usual sullying other founding fathers have elicited. Perhaps because he was tangential to politics, not of politics. Benjamin Franklin, the polymath, is beloved.
We had time before our visit to Independence Hall to visit the Benjamin Franklin museum. It sits on the site of his rather large house in Philly, which now exists just in outline (see photo). His privy has been duly marked as well, which made me laugh. His print shop has also been preserved, but alas, was closed when we visited.
The Benjamin Franklin Museum, like the man, is fun. You descend downstairs to a highly interactive series of displays. With luck, there will be a horde of schoolchildren there making a lot of noise and having fun. We were in luck. I knew Ben had invented a better stove, bifocals, and did a lot of stuff with electricity.
What I didn't know was he also invented a musical instrument, the glass armonica. Glass bowls of descending sizes are nestled in a long row, then rotated. You play the instrument with wet fingers. Listen to
Ken Burns' Glass Armonica video to hear the haunting sound. Ben would play this armonica for his guests. It was his favorite invention, and became all the rage in Europe. Even Mozart wrote music for it.
Of course, Ben is also known for his wit. He wrote under pseudonyms, a common practice of that time. But his pseudonyms are worthy of a comedian. See the list above. I'm just scratching the surface of Dr. Benjamin Franklin here. He's worthy of a life time of study.
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