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Franklin Stove
In colonial America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was kind of dangerous and used a lot of wood. Benjamin Franklin rectified this unsafe method of heating by inventing, in 1742, the cast-iron stove, or what he called the Pennsylvania Fireplace and we know today as the Franklin Stove. The appliance allowed people to warm their homes less dangerously and with less wood. |
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Invention : Franklin Stove
Definition : A cast-iron heating stove shaped like a fireplace but employing metal baffles to increase its heating efficiency; used to warm, farmhouses and homes for more than 250 years.
Inventor : Benjamin Franklin
Birth : January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts
Nationality : American (of English descent)
Milestones:
1742 Ben Franklin invents the open stove or Pennsylvania Fireplaces
1744 Ben published a pamphlet, "An Account of the new-invented Pennsylvania Fireplaces"
1772 David Rittenhouse improves Franklin’s stove by adding an L-shaped chimney
1790 The improved Franklin stove became an integral piece of Americana.
1795 Benjamin Thompson's stove design uses a slanted fireback and adjustable flue damper
1800 Cast-iron stoves become more popular as different manufacturers improve upon the design
CAPs: Franklin stove, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Grace, David R. Rittenhouse, Pennsylvania Fireplace, Rittenhouse stove, Governor Thomas, Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, An Account of the new-invented Pennsylvania Fireplaces,
SIPs: open stove, freestanding fireplace, invention, history, inventor of, history of, who invented, invention of, fascinating facts. |
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The Story
In colonial America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was kind of dangerous and used a lot of wood. Franklin rectified this unsafe method of heating by inventing the iron furnace stove, or what he called the Pennsylvania Fireplace and we know today as the Franklin Stove. The appliance allowed people to warm their homes less dangerously and with less wood.
In 1742 Ben designed a cast-iron stove that was freestanding. It could heat rooms more efficiently than wall-bound fireplaces. Unfortunately, he designed it so the smoke would come out from the bottom. Since smoke rises, this made it impossible for his original stove to work properly. But, even with this major flaw it was better and safer than previous methods.
Governor Thomas, even offered to give Franklin a patent for the sole right of producing and vending them. However Franklin declined because he believed that peoples appreciation of his invention was better then any financial reward. He wrote in his autobiography, "As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously"
Benjamin Franklin, a genius by anyone’s standards, was satisfied that he had invented an open stove for the better warming of rooms, and at the same time saving fuel . Both of the goals that he wanted to accomplish with his invention. Franklin gave the plans and a model of his open stove to Mr. Robert Grace, one of his early friends, to manufacture. Grace had an iron-furnace and found the casting of the plates for these stoves a profitable thing, as they were growing in demand.
To promote that demand, Ben wrote and published a pamphlet in 1744, entitled "An Account of the new-invented Pennsylvania Fireplaces"; In it Franklin described how the stove was to be constructed and operated, as well as it's advantages over other methods of warming houses.
By the late 1780’s, David R. Rittenhouse.had redesigned the stove by adding an L-shaped chimney. Quite reasonably, he called it a Rittenhouse stove. But legend has its prerogatives; the device is known to this day as the Franklin stove. By 1790, the improved Franklin stove was in wide use and became an integral piece of Americana.
In 1795, Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, publishes a article on fireplace construction. His simple design, which uses a slanted fireback and adjustable flue damper, sets the standard for modern fireplaces.
Cast-iron stoves become increasingly popular as different manufacturers improve upon the earlier designs of Franklin and other inventors. This competition for business, along with the development of electricity, gas appliances and central heating, leads to the eventual decline of the traditional fireplace as a functional necessity for the home. Even today, more than 250 years later, you can find Franklin stoves in use around the world. |
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