Ben Franklin is famous for being one of the Founding Fathers of the American Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and a great inventor. He conducted important experiments, fearlessly tracking a kite through a storm to better understand electricity. He even invented bifocals. Thus, every time you see an older (or maybe not so old person) peering through a pair of lenses with a line carefully spanning across the glass, you can thank Ben Franklin. You also have Ben Franklin to thank; if not for the fact that the eagle is America's national bird, at least for his brave though fundamentally misguided suggestion that the turkey should be the United States' national symbol. Ben Franklin, oddly enough, loved turkey, both to watch them and to eat them. Particularly with yams and cornbread, if I recall.

How do I know so much about Benjamin Franklin? Several months ago, on an unusually warm...
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