
History Unplugged Podcast
Scott RankHow Benjamin Franklin’s Stove Invention Kept Early America From Freezing
April 8, 2025 ● 41 minShare this episode
The biggest revolution in Benjamin Franklin’s lifetime was made to fit in a fireplace. Assembled from iron plates like a piece of flatpack furniture, the Franklin stove became one of the era's most iconic consumer products, spreading from Pennsylvania to England, Italy, and beyond. It was more than just a material object, however—it was also a hypothesis. 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 sometimes brought life to a standstill. He believed that his stove could provide snug indoor comfort despite another, related crisis: a shortage of wood caused by widespread deforestation. And he conceived of his invention as equal parts appliance and scientific instrument—a device that, by modifying how heat and air moved through indoor spaces, might reveal the workings of the atmosphere outside and explain why it seemed to be changing.
Today’s guest is Joyce Chaplin, author of The Franklin Stove: An Unintended American Revolution, the story of this singular invention, and a revelatory new look at the Founding Father we thought we knew. We follow Franklin as he promotes his stove in Britain and France, while corresponding with the various experimenters who discovered the key gases in Earth's atmosphere, invented steam engines, and tried to clean up sooty urban air. During his travels back and forth across the Atlantic, we witness him taking measurements of the gulf stream and observing the cooling effect of volcanic ash from Iceland. And back in Philadelphia, we watch him hawk his invention while sparring with proponents of the popular theory that clearcutting forests would lead to warmer winters by reducing the amount of shade cover on the surface of the Earth.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer of Confession and Repentance - Your Daily Prayer - July 28
Has unconfessed sin ever weighed you down? In Psalm 32, David paints a bleak picture of what unconfessed sin can do to a person’s body. Let's pray together this prayer of confession and repentance, and find the forgiveness Jesus so freely offers.
Top Music Videos

chris rupp Chris Rupp's Stunning A Cappella Rendition of 'Lift High The Cross'

Bill and Gloria Gaither Guy Penrod's Stirring Live Performance of 'Then Came The Morning'

Crosswalk Videos A Prayer for Boldness to Stand for Biblical Values | Your Daily Prayer

Jeremy Rosado Jeremy Rosado Music Video For Powerful 'Keep Holding On'

Universal Music Group Dolly Parton, Blessing Offor Captivate In 'Somebody's Child' Official Video