The Franklin Stove

Assembled from iron plates like a piece of flat-pack furniture, the Franklin stove became one of the most famous consumer products of its era, spreading from Pennsylvania to England, Italy, and beyond. It was more than just a material object, however - it was also a hypothesis. Benjamin Franklin was proposing that, armed with science, he could invent his way out of a climate crisis: a period of global cooling known as the Little Ice Age, when unusually bitter winters brought life to a standstill. And he conceived of his invention as equal parts appliance and scientific instrument - one that, by modifying how heat and air moved through indoor spaces, might be able to reveal the workings of the atmosphere outside and explain why it seemed to be changing. 'The Franklin Stove' is the story of this singular invention, and a revelatory new look at the Founding Father we thought we knew.