“Teach me and I will forget. Show it to me and I remember. Involve me and I will understand." –Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin grew up in poverty. He was nourished by literature as a child and at the age of 17 he worked as a printer for his brother. When he left his brother to open his own printing company, he was so successful that he retired at the age of 42! This allowed him to focus on his love of science. Franklin was a polymath (in other words, he was many things): an author, printer, politician, scientist, musician, inventor, and much, much more. He has made significant contributions to many fields. However, he is probably best known for his work in science, particularly in the field of electricity and the physics of electricity. In the scientific sectors in which he worked he is known for his studies on the theory of electricity and for his useful inventions. These include the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, lightning rod, and daylight saving time. One of Franklin's greatest claims to fame was his work in the field of electricity. He experimented with the Leyden jar, sent a current through water to ignite alcohol, built the first battery, ignited gunpowder, and much more (Bellis). He even loaded wine glasses so that drinkers would get a shock! More importantly, however, he began to develop the theory of the relationship between lightning and electricity; he suggested the idea of ​​protecting buildings using iron rods. In the summer of 1752 he performed the famous kite experiment, in which he drew electricity from the sky by winding a Leyden jar from the key at the end of the string. Franklin stated that "electricity is a single electrical 'fluid'" (electrons) "that can be transferred... middle of paper... well-known scientist and politician in both America and Europe and will always be remembered as the father of electricity. "Timeline: 1750-1774." Magnet Lab. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, nd Web. November 13, 2013. contributions to science. Also an accomplished statesman, philosopher, and writer, Franklin developed a strong passion for electricity in 1740, after being given a glass tube and cloth with which to experiment with this and an electrostatic generator he had built, the tireless tinkerer embarked on a series of experiments that led him to believe that there was only one type after all of electricity, rather than the two types that Du Fay had theorized a few years earlier..