Oh What A Time... - #50 US Presidential Inventions (Part 1)

Episode Date: June 9, 2024

This week on the show we’re discussing the magnificent inventions invented by early US Presidents! For you we have George Washington’s threshing barn (not a pub), Thomas Jefferson’s wheelie chair (as exciting as it sounds) and Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod (not as rude as it sounds). When exactly was the golden age of parking? We can’t decide if it was the coin-based or app-based eras. If you have anything on parking, inventions or anything else, you know what to do: [e-mail] If you're impatient and want both parts in one lovely go next time plus a whole lot more(!), why not treat yourself and become an Oh What A Time: FULL TIMER? In exchange for your £4.99 per month to support the show, you'll get: - two bonus episodes every month! - ad-free listening - episodes a week ahead of everyone else - And first dibs on any live show tickets Subscriptions are available via AnotherSlice, Apple and Spotify. For all the links head to: ohwhatatime.com You can also follow us on:  X (formerly Twitter) at @ohwhatatimepod And Instagram at @ohwhatatimepod Aaannnd if you like it, why not drop us a review in your podcast app of choice? Thank you to Dan Evans for the artwork (idrawforfood.co.uk). Chris, Elis and Tom x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's 2FA security on Crackin? Let's say I'm captaining my soccer team, and we're up by a goal against, I don't know, the Burlington Bulldogs. Do we relax? No way. Time to create an extra line of defense and protect that lead. That's like 2FA on Cracken.A. on Cracken. A way to keep what you already have, safe and sound. Go to Crackin.com. Cr-a-a-in. Cranc-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in to-a-a-a-s-a-s-s-s-s-s-s-s. to-a-s. to-a-a-a-s. the-a-a-s. the-s. the-s. the-a-s. the-s. the bullkkoxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. the-s. the-bo-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a Kraken.com slash legal slash CA-P-RU-Dashback-Dash-Dash-Dash-Dasclam. Disclaimer for info on Kraken's undertaking to register in Canada. I'm going back to University for $0.9 a month. Up to 5% too, everyone wants to be a student. Join for just $4.99 a month. Savings may be eligible, and member terms apply. Looking for a collaborator for your career, a strong ally to support your next level's success, you will find it at York University School of Continuing Studies,

where we offer career programs purpose-built for you. Visit continue. York.C.A. Hello and welcome to Oh What a Time, the history podcast that tries to decide that in comparison with today's bad waddez. Hello and welcome to Oh what a time, the history podcast that tries to decide that in comparison with today's problems, bad Wi-Fi, etc. Actually the problems of the past were fairly trifling, to be honest. Not that much going on and you know, like I've got to, you know, when I park now I can't use cash, I've got to use an app and it's very, very annoying, etc.

To be honest, I think I probably would prefer to live 1, 500 years ago. I'm Ellis James. I'm Tom Crane. And I'm Chris Gow, and if you were parking your horse in a medieval stable, you wouldn't have to card on me because I haven't taken my wallet out because I was just planning on using my phone. But the thing with using Applepay is that you don't actually see the card details. So, well, we'll have to park someone else, but it's, it's the same everywhere else. I've not got my usual horse.

It's a different horse than I saved on the app. Do you think outside a saloon in like, you know, the time of the Westerns they had little rectangles etched into the dirt for where you're supposed to leave your horse? Yeah, I'm genuinely intrigued by that or is it just a general space for horses? Loading only between 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. One rectangle's got a picture of a horse and its back legs and wheels. You know, that space, that would be unacceptable if I use that space. I'm genuinely, Ellis, I think that's quite an interesting point. I wonder if it is more annoying now because we know what it's like to have it good. And so when things aren't good, what, ten years ago when you could use use tho? The Golden Age. I actually prefer apps. How often would you get up to a parking space?

And it's like, oh, I don't have enough 20 p's. I'm going to have to put a pound in for like ten hours of parking. I only want to be here, nipping boots. Well, this is the great thing, you see, because when you study history, it's not the chron, it's not about facts, it's about interpretation. I think the coin era was a golden age. Chris Skull, on the other hand, actually prefers the Appage, and that is why we should be on Radio 4, having it out. Two great historians just arguing. I do argue. I'm not going to say who will give any hint as to where this person lives. Well, this person lives in the area that I live in, and I know them a bit. They have elongated.

They basically wasn't enough parking space in the road outside the house. They have taken out paint and elongated the parking space so they can park their car there. So they've drawn their own, you know, whatever. What is the indicator on the road that suggests you can park there? What is it? Like those white dotted markings? He's elongated, how long they are? That's incredible. I'm not going to give any more information that because I don't want this person to get in trouble the the their their their to their their to their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their thoes. thoompeauau. their their their their thoompern. What's they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they's, you. they's, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, their their their their their their the. thoome. thoomoomorrow toge. toge. toge. toge. thoea. What's thea. What's throwne. What's they're throwne. want this person to get in trouble. I'm aware that's not okay. That's unbelievable. Yeah, so he's gone out with a pot of paint and he's elongated the parking space. But isn't that like special paint? You can't just go to B in Q and get that pain, isn't it? Otherwise we'd all be out of it. Otherwise, I would have been recording this podcast now. I would have been recording the thirty. thap. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their. their. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. the. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. theologe. thooooooooo could sneak out at midnight and sort of top it up once every fortnight if it just sort of like do-lots. My dad always says he remembers them bringing double yellows in to Camarthen and he was like,

it just pissed off all the farmers because they used to, they were used to being able to park wherever they wanted. And they were like, I can't leave my trailer there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. the the the their their their their their their their their their tree. Yeah. tree. their. their. tree. tree. Yeah. I. to. to. to. to. to. I. to. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I............................................................................................................................ Yeah The golden age of parking Yeah, email us. Hello at Oat Time.com We should say that each week on the show we're looking at a new historical subject to this and today We're going to be discussing inventions by US president the creative bunch. It's great, isn't it? I love the idea that you could get to that level of political office and also have the time to invent stuff the way. You know, I'm not as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as as tha thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi to to to to to the the the the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the tia.oia.ooooomea.oomea.oomea timeoooooomea time.ooooomea time.ooomea.o. Io. too. Io. too. to that level of political office and also have the time to invent stuff along the way. You know I'm not as busy as I'm not as busy as a president and I've invented nothing. It suggests two things. You're either super creative and one of those people who just does not waste a second. We've all met these people and they're rarer than you think but they do exist or you're not

taking your duties at the Oval Office seriously now. Because you should be running the country mate. What you doing inventing something new and you should be running the country let the inventors do that. You're the bloody president! Imagine if it was like Margaret Thatcher or something like that was taking time off being Prime Minister to try and invent some ludicrous invention. You wouldn't last five minutes and yet these guys have done it. We are recording this on Thursday May the 23rd. So Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of Grypton announced that it would be an election July

the 4th yesterday. And in something that's already become quite iconic he did it outside in the rain even though there's a big press office in at Downing Street indoors don't know why he did that anyway. In terms of inventions a man who's not aware of the invention of the umbrella. Yeah but fortunately, England manager Steve McLaren made it impossible for any important person to, certainly a man to have an umbrella in 2007, the Wally with a Brolly. Yeah, so it's now impossible for a man in public office to have an umbrella in the UK, which just impossible. So, Rishishish Shunak announced that there would be an election and he talked about the economics of the country and he made

the case for why people should go to the polls and vote conservative. If at the end of his speech he had said, and also, you know when you hang t-shirts on hangers and sometimes the shoulders go a bit funny, I've also sorted that out because I'm an inventor as well. I was Chancellor of the Exchequer, I'm Prime Minister now, but I'm always an inventor at heart. It's been bothering me since I was about 13 and I finally cracked it. The funny little, you just get these weird lumps on your t-shirt. Well I've done it. Tiny shoulder pads. Yeah, July 4th, vote Conservative! Well I think what I'd say is...

The crowd chant, four more years, four more years. I think what you'd need to do there is say, and I'm only willing to release the blueprints. If you vote me back in, and then there are no blueprints. Two conditions. Fair play, Rishi. I've got to win my own seat and remain as Prime Minister and the Conservatives have to win a working majority and then I will release the Brupins. And those funny little lumps you get on t-shirt on certain hangars will be no more.

Very quickly before we move on to the history. Things can only get better. Things can only get flatter. Very briefly before we move on, for a point, can you guys remember my one invention from this show, which is early doors? It's my only invention I've ever thought of. I don't know how it would work, but... Is it to do with custard or the drinking of custard? It was to do with flies on your trousers. Do you remember? No God, remind me. It's, it. It's, it. It's, it. It's, it. It's, it. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi. It's thi. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th your trousers. Do you remember? No, God remind me. It's because basically my flies are always down inadvertently and it's a little beeper but when your flies go down. It's a little beeper but when your flies go down. It's a little bit. It should be a bleep. Like those things that help you find your your iPhone when you've lost it. Oh yeah. And you look down my flies are down. You zip them up, you go into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into into the meeting the meeting the meeting the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fli. the flies. the fli. the flies are the flies are the flies are flies are the flies are the flies are the flies are the flies are the flies the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the flies. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the fl. the the fli. the the fli. t. t. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. the. the. the. the. the meeting, you land a big job. It shouldn't be a bleep. It should be a small but significant electric shock.

But if you're going to go to all this effort. You're nevers. Surely, if you're, if your fly's sense that you're walking around and you're not at a urinal, zip them themselves up. What do you mean? If you walk in, if the flies can sense, thensensensensensensensensensensensensensensensensensens, if, if the fly, if the fly, if the fly, if the flies, if the flies, the flies, the flies, the flies, the flies, the flies, the flies, the flies, they, if, if, they, if, if, if they, there's, they, they, they, they, they, they, there, there, there, there, there, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there's, there's, there's, there's, there's, there's there's there's they. We's they. they's thoooo, they's they. We's th. It's th. they. they. they. they. there's, there's the beep? What do you mean, sorry? What do you mean? If you're walking, if the fly's consent, I'm not stood at a urinal, there is no weeing happening. This person is walking around, they automatically come up. So you've taken my invention, you've up to, so you're saying it's a re-zipping fly? The problem with that is, yeah, I think I know where you're going to tell it. Should there be an issue with the mainframe?

Exactly. You know, like, have you ever been caught in the barriers at a train station? We are looking at a guillotine situation. And imagine, you know, they get product recalls. Like, oh, there's this kid's toy and the batteries are dangerous so that they've been catching fire so we're recalling them all. Imagine doing a product recall on that because the toggers have been severed all over Europe. Everyone going, why are you recording the product? Ah you don't know, just a manufacturing issue. You don't need to know.

You don't need to know. If you ever bought Quality Mortier Day a ham from a deli, you'll know you don't want re-zipping flies that can zip up very quickly without any... I think that's too much risk. Right, before we get onto the history, should we do a little bit of correspondence? Let's do that. Yes. An email here from Grace Nelson. Thank you for getting in contact with the show. Grace, thank you to anyone who gets in contact. We love hearing from you. One Day Time Machine is the title of the email. Always love to read that. Hello, for the One Day Time Machine, I would go back to 305 AD to see St. Albun, no I don't really know anything about St. Albun being beheaded not to interfere but just to watch. I would want to find out if his head really did roll down Hollywood Hill. So that's quite a sort of ridiculous one. Yeah. The idea of simply turning up to see which way a head rolls, I think that's one of the darker ones we've got so far.

But that implies that this has bothered Chris for a long time because she's got the whole spectrum of human history to choose from. And she's like, that head roll seems a bit dodgy to me. Sounds a little bit like myth making to me. What a twist when you get there and somehow the head rolls uphill. And she's turning to the person next to be honest, I didn't see that happening. That would be, I'm from the future. You know they say when you get your head cut off, you are aware and alive for like a few seconds after. to me. to me. to me. to me. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. to be. the the to be. to be. the the to be. to be. to be. the to be. to be, to me. the to be, the to me. to me. to me. to me, to me, to me, to me, to me. to me. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. thi. I. I. I. I. I. I'm theea. I'm thea. I's. today. today. today. today. the. to me. the. the. the. You know they say when you get your head cut off you are aware and alive for like a few seconds after us? That would be. If you did, if you had the rest of your bitch, you might feel, you might be sick. But give it a brief moment in that case where you're going, yay! If you're rolling down the hill, it's actually quite exciting.

I'm imagining, combining with that cheese rolling the West country where you get loads of people at the top and they chase the head down the hill. Who wins it, wins a dairy milk or whatever. You're briefly, you're briefly conscious and awake and know that it's happening. You go, yay! As you're rolling down the hill, and then you go, watch this! And then you start rolling back up the hill. I don't know how you do it but you do it. What a try. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. What th. th. their. th. th. their. their. their. their. their. their. they. they. they. they. they. You're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're. You're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, they. they. they. they. they. they. they. they. th. th. they. th. thrown. they. they. they. they. they. they. the the they. the the the briefly. they. your way back up the hill. I would I think if happened to me I would somehow survive for three minutes I would roll down there'd be initial burst of excitement. Aye! And then after seven seconds I'd roll straight into a cow pat. That's what happened. Yeah. I'd be face down in the cow pat and it'd be three minutes on and I'm thinking how am I air, but I've got a topic for Darrell. Things like cheese rolling, those strange events are so funny.

Because the thing with cheese rolling, what I find so funny about it, they've been doing it for over 150 years. No one has ever caught the cheese. It can't be done. Is it the fastest thing to man a rolling cheese? No, but it's it's it the fastest thing? Is that the fastest thing to man a rolling cheese? No, but it's it the fastest thing? It's any faster than people. Is it faster from Concord? Yeah, it goes speed of light, cheese rolling down a hill in the West Country. Every year people break bones trying to catch an uncouchable cheese. Yeah. What? Amazing. Thank you for getting contact Grace. Like the fact that it, it's been a light cheddar. Amazing.

So thank you for getting contact, Grace. Like the fact that it just suggests you've got sort of genuine beef. There's something in your family. Some Auburn has done something to Grace's family, I think. There's some historical legacy there. She's desperately. Yeah, I really like the death of this man. But thank you for sending any correspondence things. We're still picking our favorites. Unbelievable. Ellis is taking this really seriously.

He's like embodying a music executive. Yeah, but like a 90s one. So all of the decisions I'm making, I'm high on drugs. And I've got far too much money to spend. So one lucky listener is going to get a quarter of a million quid for this. We will get round to it. If you want to get in contact the show, there are many, many, many, many ways you can do it in 2024. It's such an exciting time to be alive, and here's just some of them. All right, you horrible look. Here's how you can stay in touch with the show. You can email us

and oh what a time dot com. And you can follow us and hello at O'Watertime.com and you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter at O'Water Time pod. Now clear off. This NFL season get in on all the hard-hitting action with fan duel. North America's number one sports book. You can bet on anything from money lines to spreads and player props, or combine your bets in a same game parley for a shot at an even bigger payout. Plus with super simple live betting, lightning fast bett settlement and instant withdraws,

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What are you talking about this week, guys? I will be discussing George Washington's Threshing Barn. I'll be talking about Thomas Jefferson's Wheelie Chair. George Washington's Threshing Barn. That sounds like a great name for a pub that, isn't it? Yes! The Threshing Barn. That sounds like a great name for a pub that isn't it? Or a ba- Yes! The threshing bawn.

Like a pub you would get in a sort of quite a posh rural area. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Yes. Yeah, yeah. You'd go in there and see David Cameron at the bar. Yeah, absolutely. They'll be showing the rugby in there. Oh yeah, yeah.

And you're going, you say, excuse me, mate, can we watch West Time Everton? They go, no. They've got Scotch eggs at 14 quid each on the bar and read one of those glass things. Don't suppose you've got any dodgy feed for the football. No, we're watching Saracen's play. Oh, okay, yeah, good, yeah, I'll watch them. Great, great. So, I am going to be talking to you, first of all,

about an incredible invention created by none of than one of America's founding fathers. So we taught there about the idea earlier of Prime Ministers and Presidents having the time to invent something. This guy is also setting up a country and he's inventing stuff, okay? This is Benjamin Franklin we're talking about there. Let's briefly, which are the two things to think you're better at? Sort of establishing how a country's going to work or kind of budding inventor, which if you had to go for one of the two areas, what you think? What would your skill base maybe leany towards more? Right, I'm going to say something absolutely insane. I studied politics and history at university.

I've never invented anything in my life. So you'd have to say then, establish a country. Because I've never had an idea of an invention in my life. Do you know what I was thinking with this subject? I was thinking, when I grew up I thought, inventors is so cool. I'd love to to to to to to to to their I was thinking with this subject. I was thinking, when I grew up I thought inventors are so cool, I'd love to be an inventor. And then when I started thinking about this subject, I actually thought inventors are losers. Like inventors are weird people and I like, one example, Doc Brown, back to the future. Why is he mates with Michael J Fox?

What is like, you know, they're just, the, their, they're just, they're crack, he invented time travel? But they're all mad, but they're all mad. But they're all mad, if you say I'm an inventor, you are mad. Like, if you just draw a stereotypical inventor, they are mad. And most's a bit like being a musician, they will have one greatest hit. So I'm thinking of Clive Sinclair. Yeah, Trevor Bayliss. Yeah, Trevor Bayliss is the wind-up radio. And then what happens is they will come up with one good invention that gets a lot of press, and then there's a lot of pressure on them to come up with other inventions, but they've had their good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. thea. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. the. thea. the. the. their their their the had their good idea. And if an invention isn't quite right, it looks really silly, it looks really sort of daft. But yeah, I also want to think I wanted to be an inventor when I was a kid, because they used to crop up quite a lot in popular culture. They were in lots of films and in so kids' books. I think you see less of them now. Yeah, well, right. We've moved more into wizards, wizardry, I, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the the their. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. And, I. Yeah, I the to to they. Yeah, I th. Yeah, I they they're they're th. Yeah, they're they're to to they. Yeah, I th. It was a big thing. We've moved more into wizards,

wizardry, I think. Is it going back to the medieval age? Not wanted to come up with a stupid statement, but have have most things been invented now? Well the Victorians famously said, yeah, yeah, the Victorians said, yeah, yeah.izer that was after the Victorian age. Yeah, yeah. A few other things I can think I didn't. Sorta stream. When you said spiralizer I thought for a second you were going to say spice girls. The spice girls. The spice girls. They didn't see that coming. They didn't see that coming. No idea. thin. the. th. th. the. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. th. th. th. the. the the the. the. the. S. S. S. S. S. S. S, I was. S, I. S, I. S, I. S, I. S, I. S, I. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So. So, the. So, the. So, the. So, the. So, the. S. the. the. the. the. S. the. S. S. the. S. S. S. the. S. S. S. a founding father, he was a drafter and a signer of the Declarative Independence,

he was also, check this out for a list, a writer, a scientist, a statesman, a diplomat, a printer, a publisher, a political philosopher, and, as I say, an inventor, which does feel a little bit like he's written his own Wikipedia that boy. Yeah, do you know what? I'd never ever heard this opinion until I started working on Fancy Football League with a much younger comedian who had very different opinions about football to be a man called Andrew Mensa. And I always say John Charles is the greatest football ever because he was an amazing center forward and an amazing center half. So when you look at his goal scoring exploits, they're impressive enough as it is, but when you consider that a significant proportion of those

games he was playing in defense, you're like, oh my God. Andrew used to say, yeah, to me that makes him worse because if he was playing in a time when you're, yeah, you could play in set and also be good, that implies that football was bad. So if he's doing all of that stuff, part of me, I used to be really impressed with him and his record, but now I think, come on mate, you must have been, you can't have been taking the science seriously as well. Come on. I mean, he's fitted all these things in, as I say at the time when he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's doing th. thi. thin, he's doing all thi, he's doing thin' thin' is doing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing all thing, he's doing all thi, he's doing all. thi, he's doing, he's doing. thi. thi. thi. thi. thin, he's thin, he's thin, he's thin, he's thin, he's doing. thin, he's doing. thin, he's doing to thin, he's doing to thin, he's doing all thin, he's doing all thin, he's doing all thin, he's doing all. thin, he's doing thin, he's doing thin, he's fitted all these things in, as I say, at the time when he's planning a country. But as an inventor alone, he achieved amazing things. His list of contributions

include a musical instrument known as the glass harmonica, a unique fireplace known as the Franklin stove, and the big one, which probably, I think we could agree, is probably more successful of those by focal lenses so what by focal lens is the invention of one of the founding fathers of America however that's not his big one and for a point in what area of experiments is Benjamin Franklin best known what's the area that he's best known for agriculture not agriculture money no so the work that it earned Franklin his place in the area that he's best known for? Agriculture. Not agriculture. Money? Nope. So the work that earned Franklin his place in the pantheon of great inventors was his work with electricity.

So this was his main area fascination which led to his great invention, the lightning rod. Okay, I'm going to talk to you today about this journey towards this invention because it's it's started in the mid mid mid mid mid mid mid mid mid the mid the mid th... th. th. th. It's th. It's th. It's to ards this invention because it's mad. It started in the mid 1740s. He's living in Boston, okay? And for years he's experimenting in his home laboratory with electricity, which feels like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it? That's like, what's your husband doing? He's downstairs experimenting with electricity. I always thought that about Mary Curie. Yeah. I'm just something to play with this radioactive stuff. I think every time... I don't know what, I don't that, I that, I that, I that, I that, I don't that, I don't that, I'm that, I don't that, I'm just having to play this radioactive stuff. I think every time... I don't know what, I don't know what is... Leave it!

Get a bit of a metallic taste in my mouth, apart from that, I'm having a good laugh. It's like when my son starts painting and I'm like, just use crayons because I can clean that up. Every time Benjana Franklin is going downstairs to do his work, do you reckon his wife is saying you're the kids, to say goodbye to your father, just give him a hug and just tell him, because this might be the last time. My every shift is a risk. To give you an example of why it was a risk,

one of his early risk. One of his early attempts, was this early attempt, a turkey by electric shock. So that was one of his early experiments. Which I can see is something someone would do on Christmas Eve when they've bought a live one by the steak. And the family are coming, saying to the wife, fill the bath and get the toaster. We've got to kill this thing. The funny thing is if Benchardtive frankly said to me I'm going to try and kill this turkey with electricity, I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I the then, I then, I to then, I'm to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to to the the the their their their their their their their their their to their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their tooke. tooke. tooke. toda. toda. toda. tryea try. toda. toea toa toa toa. Wea. toe. toe. to to to to the with electricity I would go I can see the scientific value in that I'm not gonna I'm not gonna advise you not to not want to be too brutal you do have hands I would say they're coming in an hour and they're your parents so it's fine for you know but for me they're your mother's always been funny with me and you know that.

You spend an hour try to electrocute a turkey. You get the credit for the good stuff and I get the brain for the bad stuff, so please. It's the most horrific out of your life. The door opens, the in-laws are there and they say, we're vegetarians. You think, what th. What th. What thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thoom's thi. thi. thoomoomorrow. thoomoomoomorrow. tho's, tho. tho. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's the thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome. It and they say, we're vegetarians. If you think, what have I done? It didn't go well, just to let you know this. He didn't kill the turkey and you end up electrocuting himself, which I think we'd agree is the one thing you don't want to happen in that situation. As he told a friend in a letter written on Christmas Day, I inadvertently took the whole electric shock th, th, th, the electric, the electric, th, th, the electric, th, the electric, to to to to the electric, to toe, toe, the toe, toe, the toe, the the toe, toe, the the toe, the tooke, the tooke, tooke, tooke, told, told, told, told, told, told, told, told, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the, the, the thee, thee, thrue, the the thrue, the the thrue, the thrue, the thrue, te, te, tooe, te, tooe, tooe, tooe, too, the the, the too, the took the whole electric shock through my own arms and body. The flash was very great and the crack was as loud as a pistol. Which is quite a thing to explain

when you get to A&E how do you electricate yourself? I was in my basement trying to kill a turkey. Yeah what's electricity? Yeah what do you mean electrically? Yeah what do you mean electrically? What is that word? Well it's... He would have been one of the first people from history to get electric cured. I suppose you've got people getting struck by lightning, but then... Well, people would have inadvertently, I suppose, yeah, exactly. Lightning, static, electric shocks, stuff like that. Please, I need to painculous, but what is it?

It's a type of energy that consists of the movement of electrons between between, potential difference between them. And it generates an electric current, I've got one in my body now. However, every time it goes back to A&E, he'll have a sort of clearer, more defined answer as to what it is, which is quite satisfying. Every time he returns, my month, you'll have a better answer for them. Have you sorted it out yet, Benjamin? No, but my arm is still very sore. Now, I think we can agree that most people would be put off by this. I think if you try to kill a turkey by electrocuting it and then electrocuting yourself, you think

maybe they might just concentrate on the whole printer publisher stuff, but not Benjamin Franklin. He decides to take things up a gear and turns his attention to lightning, okay? So even more powerful source of electricity. Speculating that the electrical fire, this is a quote, would I think be drawn out of a cloud silently before it would come near enough to strike. But the question was how to draw that electricity down from the clouds. Well, on June the 10th, 1752, assisted by his son William, first of all, don't bring your son into these experiments.

Yeah, you've always kill yourself try to kill a turkey. Don't get your son involved. Mrs Franklin would be human. Yeah. Yeah. Just let him get, you know, he could get the post around or so, whatever, you know, get him just a job in the corner shop or something. He doesn't need to be sort of involved in this stuff. Assisted by his son William, Franklin conducted what was to be known as the kite experiment. And this experiment took place largely because of Franklin's impatience. I like this. He'd hoped to erect a rod on top of the steeple of Philadelphia's Christ Church, but the steeple was still being constructed. It was taking too long.

He was getting really annoyed about it. So he decided instead just to use a kite with some metal attached to it. He just couldn't be bothered to wait. the to to the to to the to to the to the to use. the to use. the to use. the the to use. the to use. the the the the to the the to use. the the the the the the to the the the theckeckeckereeckeree. to to to to to to to erect. to erect. I. I. I. Iecketeencth. Iecketeenct. Iecketeenct. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It's t t tipeckeckeckeckeckeckeckeckeckeckeckeckeckeaaa. It's tipea. It's tipeckea. tipeckea. tipeckeckeckeckeckecke. It's toecke He just couldn't be bothered to wait. So he attached an iron key to the strings of a kite to insulate himself, he uses silk threads which he wraps around his knuckles and wet hemp thread as a line to the main body of the kite. If you can understand what I'm saying here. And he surmised that that would provide a conductive route for the electrical power of the lightning down to the ground. And to avoid to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their their their their their their their their their their. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. I I Ia. Ia. Ia. Ia. I's te. te. te. te. tea tea. tea. And tea. And tea. And tea. And tea. tea. Andea. And te. And te. And t lightning down to the ground and to avoid getting wet in the storm he stood under a barn so that's a situation he's got a kite flying up with a metal metal in it he's got silk around his hands and he's stood under a barn so he doesn't get wet I'm not looking at that guy I'm not going that's one of the great inventions am I I I thinking that man

has lost his mind love that he's establishing my new country. I think people were weirder then. Yes. I think it had to be in it because there's so many unanswered questions everywhere. Even lightning is like a good example of something like I don't know what that is. You're just like, I'm going to go figure it out. I think this will happen. Yeah. It just leads to to weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird weird circumstances. It's true there's more there's more risk there's more risk in everywhere isn't it in terms of in the search for knowledge there is risk because outside of that knowledge you have no idea what it is you know

going to new countries overseas whatever happens and also politicians are under some scrutiny now and very little scrutiny then like if Rishi Sunac was doing that was under a barn with what an image well but but you'd have Kay Burley from Sky going, "'Soonak is trying to harness lightning. It's about 11 a.m. He's late for PMQs. He's under a barn to avoid hitting wet. He didn't do that yesterday when he announced the election, but to avoid an electric shock. people would be just watching it on on

BBC News 24 and Sky News just going what is he doing whereas Frank Franklin if he had a day off he could do whatever he wanted. Rishi is so small and slight I could easily see a particularly strong gust lifting me off the ground and him flying over the headland behind the kite. Yeah and he's off! So he's so he sets up this situation and then he waits for the the the the kite. And he's off! So he sets up this situation and then he waits for the electricity to strike but then the kite was not struck by lightning at which is lucky as if it had been struck it would have meant instant death. So they now know this that had it been struck by lightning the situation he set up would not have saved him.

He would have been killed immediately. However, this is interesting, he was able to reserve that the threads repelled each other, much like sort of static electricity, and he observed an electrical spark when he came near the key, which meant that Franklin was able to prove that lightning was a form of electricity, and therefore a rod would work work that that that that to to to that that to that to to work that to be that to be to be to be to be that to be to be that experiment to be that experiment to be to be to be to be to be a to be a to be a form of electricity and therefore a rod would work. So that experiment showed him that what was coming from the cloud that lightning was indeed electricity and therefore a lightning rod on the top of a building was exactly what was needed, which I think is kind of amazing that extrapolation.

In September 1752, Franklin stalled one on the roof of his Philadelphia house and a few months later he published a method to secure houses from lightning. And what distinguished Franklin's model from those developed over here after that was that his had a pointed shape like a needle. Ours were flat top. King George III, for example here, had a lightning rod installed in London and was persuaded by English scientists that a blunt-ended rod would be better since it would deter lightning, whereas a pointed rod like Franklin's would be more likely to be

struck. However, Franklin felt this mindset was ridiculous because the point of a rod is you want to attract lightning to it. That's a whole thing. You want to, in his mindset, you want it to get struck so to prevent damage. And as a result the lightning rod became a way of sort of distinguishing an American approach to things and a British one. This kind of key represented a difference in mindset between the two countries for a while. It was really something that was referenced quite a lot. And this was demonstrated, this is my final thing. This was demonstrated when it came to installing a lightning rod on to the Maryland Statehouse during its reconstruction in the early 1790s when the architect Joseph Clark elected to use a Franklin rod so appointed one instead of a European alternative and at 28 feet tall it was the biggest rod installed

during Franklin's lifetime and amazingly I think it's amazing it remains in place today in fact on the first of July 2016 so this is almost 220 years since it was installed during the lifetime of Franklin, it still proved its lasting worth. When the Maryland Statehouse was struck by lightning triggering the internal fire prevention mechanisms, only there was no fire because the lightning rod had conducted electricity safely down to the ground. So this thing that was installed at the time with the founding fathers is still protecting buildings to this day. That's amazing. Isn't it? There there, th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th still still still still still, thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi th still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still still, th, th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi th installed at the time of the founding fathers is still protecting buildings to this day. That's amazing, isn't it?

There go, this is a guy who literally achieved everything in his life. Fair play to him. All right, that's the end of part one. If you want a bunch of bonus episodes, which the following heroes gifts sex drugs and rock and roll protests medieval sex and last month US sports in the UK and also Chris there's a bumper episode containing every extra fourth part we've ever done. There is there is loads of extra history in that one loads of good stuff and get your name in a shout out the end of the show.

To get all that go to O'Watertime.com. Otherwise we'll see you tomorrow for part two. Bye. Oh, I the