Asimov Isaac. The Kite that Won the Revolution

Illustrated by Victor Mays — Houghton Mifflin, 1963 — 148 p — ISBN 978-0395174456, 0395174457This is a biography of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) for grade school children. Asimov being who he is, he focuses on Franklin’s work as a scientist and, particular, electricity. Along the way, he spends several chapters talking about electricity and gives a good history of the subject before he even gets to Franklin. There’s a strong focus as well on Franklin’s career as a diplomat and statesman.How could it be that a middle-aged man flying a kite in a thunderstorm should bring down with it not only the lightning but victory for the American Colonies in the Revolution. To find the answer, Isaac Asimov goes back to the prehistoric pine forests of northern Europe and a substance called amber; to the Greek philosophers who named it «elektron» and to the laboratories of eighteenth Century Europe where scientists were trying to explain why this «electron» had such extraordinary magical powers. His search leads him from the frontiers of the New World to the frontiers of science; from the shores of the Delaware to the courts of France and England. Moving expertly from scientific to political history, Professor Asimov builds a fascinating case for Benjamin Franklin's crucial role in winning the American Revolution. For Franklin was almost the only American at the time who had a reputation in Europe. It was Franklin who had harnessed the awful power of the thunderstorm and whose lightning rods were protecting buildings all over Europe. If any American had the stature to persuade France to lend help to the Colonies it was the plain-speaking, peaceable hero from Philadelphia.
By bringing together many diverse strands from history, this book focuses a fresh beam of light on our past. Even more important, it also shows that more history is made in the laboratory than on the battlefield.France to the Rescue!
Gold from the Sea
The Ball of Sulfur
The Two Fluids
The Shocking Jar
The Self-Made Man
Positive and Negative
The Hammer of Thor
The Pointed Umbrella
The Idea of Union
Failure in England
Success in France
The Nation Completed
Postscript A Hundred Years Late