Jan. 17, 2026
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin’s birthday: inventions, printing, science, and diplomacy of the Enlightenment.
You may also like ODD ONE OUT. a new podcast with Mark Ellison! Mark gives you 4 words, you decide which word does not belong. Three rounds daily, quick and fun,
Portions of today's trivia podcast were made with the help of AI.
WEBVTT
1
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:09.119
Calarogu, Shark Media, hi I Mark Ellison, And today's theme
2
00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:13.480
is Benjamin Franklin's birthday Inventions, printing, science, and diplomacy of
3
00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:18.280
the Enlightenment. Question one. On Benjamin Franklin's birthday, we remember
4
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:22.399
his musical tinkering. Which ethereal sounding instrument did he invent
5
00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:26.679
by mounting nested glass bowls on a spinning spindle, an
6
00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:35.920
instrument that later inspired Mozart to compose for it. Question two.
7
00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:40.880
Franklin the printer fought counterfeiters with botany. What technique using
8
00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.200
impressions of real leaves on colonial paper money did he
9
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:53.079
pioneer to make notes uniquely hard to forge? Question three?
10
00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:57.359
In his landmark electrical experiments, what two names did Benjamin
11
00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:01.759
Franklin assign to opposite kinds of electric charts terminology scientists
12
00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:11.719
still use worldwide today? Question four? As the Revolutionary war raged,
13
00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:16.480
Franklin brought Enlightenment charm to Parisian diplomacy. What seventeen seventy
14
00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:19.480
eight agreement did he help secure that brought France openly
15
00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:28.599
into alliance with the United States. Question five. Before he
16
00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:31.120
was a founding father, he was a best selling author
17
00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:35.400
under what title did Benjamin Franklin publish his wildly popular
18
00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:40.680
almanac as the pseudonymous Richard Saunders, packed with forecasts, puzzles,
19
00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:48.560
and pithy proverbs. We'll be right back with these answers
20
00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:55.799
after this break. Welcome back. Question one, what glass bowl
21
00:01:55.799 --> 00:02:00.439
instrument did Franklin invent? Answer? The glass Armonica. Franklin devised
22
00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:04.120
the glass armonica around seventeen sixty one, producing tones by
23
00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:07.159
touching spinning glass bowls with wet fingers. It became a
24
00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:10.960
sensation in Enlightenment salons. Mozart wrote pieces for it, including
25
00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:14.319
the Adagio in C Major K dot three five six.
26
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.120
Question two, what leaf imprint anti counterfeiting method did Franklin pioneer?
27
00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:24.039
Answer nature printing leaf patterns on currency. He made casts
28
00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:27.719
of actual leaves and printed their intricate vein patterns on notes,
29
00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:31.520
exploiting the fact that no two leaves are identical. This
30
00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:35.879
early security printing innovation helped protect Pennsylvania and other colonial
31
00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.960
issues from forgers. Question three, What two names did Franklin
32
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.800
give to opposite electric charges? Answer? Positive and negative. Franklin's
33
00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:47.520
single fluid model led him to label an excess of
34
00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:51.960
charge positive and a deficit negative vocabulary that stuck. He
35
00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.319
also introduced the term battery for a group of Leyden
36
00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:59.759
jars used together. Question four. What seventeen seventy eight alliance
37
00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:03.599
with f France did Franklin help secure? Answer? The Treaty
38
00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:07.800
of Alliance seventeen seventy eight, signed in Paris alongside the
39
00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.240
Treaty of Amity and Commerce. It committed France to military
40
00:03:11.240 --> 00:03:15.199
support of the United States. French aid, especially naval power,
41
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:18.879
proved decisive at Yorktown in seventeen eighty one. Question five.
42
00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:23.479
What was Franklin's almanac under the pen name Richard Saunders? Answer?
43
00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:28.000
Poor Richard's Almanac, published annually from seventeen thirty two to
44
00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:32.360
seventeen fifty eight. Poor Richard's Almanac blended practical information with
45
00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:36.879
memorable sayings that shaped American folk wisdom. Franklin used the
46
00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.719
persona of Richard Saunders to deliver advice with humor and flare.
47
00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:45.879
That concludes today's five daily Trivia questions. I'm Mark Ellison,
48
00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:49.120
and today's questions were crafted with the help of AI technology.
49
00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:49.919
See you tomorrow.
1
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:09.119
2
00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:13.480
3
00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:18.280
4
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:22.399
5
00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:26.679
6
00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:35.920
7
00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:40.880
8
00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.200
9
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:53.079
10
00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:57.359
11
00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:01.759
12
00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:11.719
13
00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:16.480
14
00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:19.480
15
00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:28.599
16
00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:31.120
17
00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:35.400
18
00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:40.680
19
00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:48.560
20
00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:55.799
21
00:01:55.799 --> 00:02:00.439
22
00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:04.120
23
00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:07.159
24
00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:10.960
25
00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:14.319
26
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.120
27
00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:24.039
28
00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:27.719
29
00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:31.520
30
00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:35.879
31
00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.960
32
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.800
33
00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:47.520
34
00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:51.960
35
00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.319
36
00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:59.759
37
00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:03.599
38
00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:07.800
39
00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.240
40
00:03:11.240 --> 00:03:15.199
41
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:18.879
42
00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:23.479
43
00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:28.000
44
00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:32.360
45
00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:36.879
46
00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.719
47
00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:45.879
48
00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:49.120
49
00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:49.919
