7 The 100 Most Influential Inventors of All Time 7

Royal Society, were found to have magnifying powers of

between 50 and, at the most, 300 times. In order to observe

phenomena as small as bacteria, Leeuwenhoek must have

employed some form of oblique illumination, or other

technique, for enhancing the effectiveness of the lens, but

this method he would not reveal. Leeuwenhoek continued

his work almost to the end of his long life of 90 years.

Leeuwenhoek’s contributions to the Philosophical

Transactions amounted to 375 and those to the Memoirs of

the Paris Academy of Sciences to 27. Two collections of his

works appeared during his life, one in Dutch (1685–1718)

and the other in Latin (1715–22); a selection was translated

by S. Hoole, The Select Works of A. van Leeuwenhoek

(1798–1807).

Benjamin Franklin

(b. Jan. 17 [Jan. 6, Old Style], 1706, Boston, Mass. [now in U.S.]—d.

April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.)

B

enjamin Franklin was an American printer and pub-

lisher, author, inventor and scientist, and diplomat.

One of the foremost of the Founding Fathers, Franklin

helped draft the Declaration of Independence and was

one of its signers, represented the United States in France

during the American Revolution, and was a delegate to

the Constitutional Convention. He made important

contributions to science, especially in the understanding

of electricity, and is remembered for the wit, wisdom, and

elegance of his writing.

Early Life

Ben Franklin was born the 10th son of the 17 children of a

man who made soap and candles, one of the lowliest of the