Chapter 39

This chapter is a scholarly endnotes section providing source citations and historiographical context for Franklin's electrical experiments and scientific work, including his kite experiment, lightning rod development, and theoretical contributions to understanding electricity.

These endnotes document the scholarly foundations and primary sources for Franklin's scientific investigations. Key sources cited include I. Bernard Cohen's comprehensive studies on Franklin's science, which establish the chronology and validity of Franklin's electrical experiments conducted between the late 1740s and early 1750s. The notes address Franklin's early work on heat, magic squares, and the Pennsylvania fireplace before turning to his electrical research. A substantial portion defends the authenticity of Franklin's famous kite experiment against Tom Tucker's claims that it was fabricated, with Cohen's detailed historical analysis cited as the authoritative refutation. The notes document Franklin's correspondence with Peter Collinson and others regarding his theories connecting electrical sparks to lightning, his sentry box experiments, and the installation of lightning rods on Philadelphia buildings in 1752. Additional citations trace the influence of Newton and other natural philosophers on Franklin's theoretical framework, and note that while others had observed similarities between electricity and lightning, Franklin was the first to propose serious experimental tests. The endnotes also include Turgot's famous Latin epigram crediting Franklin with wresting lightning from the sky and the scepter from tyrants.