Franklin Institute

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the science museum in Philadelphia. For the Boston school, see Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology.

Budd BB-1 in front of museum

The Franklin Institute is the memorial to Benjamin Franklin, that serves to perpetuate his legacy; the museum contains many of Franklin's personal effects. On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and William H. Keating founded The Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts. The Franklin Institute hired notable Philadelphia architect, John Haviland, to design its original building located at 15 South 7th Street, (Now the home of the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia).

1 National Memorial
2 The Franklin Institute Science Museum
3 Mandell Center
4 The Benjamin Franklin Awards
5 Trivia
6 See also
7 External links
8 References

[edit] National Memorial

Fraser's Franklin Statue

Main article: Benjamin Franklin National Memorial

The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial features a 20 foot high statue, sculpted by James Earle Fraser, that sits within the rotunda of the Institute. Congress designated the memorial on October 25, 1972. On December 30, 2005, Congress authorized the Institute to receive up to $10,000,000 in matching grants for the rehabilitation of the memorial and for the development of related exhibits. ^[1]

[edit] The Franklin Institute Science Museum

The most recognizable part of The Franklin Institute to the public is The Franklin Institute Science Museum. In the spirit of inquiry and discovery embodied by Benjamin Franklin, the mission of The Franklin Institute is to inspire an understanding of and passion for science and technology learning. After vacating its 7th Street building, in 1934 the Institute opened at its current location on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Exhibits on display cover several subjects such as science and industry, physics, astronomy and history. A popular Philadelphia landmark is the Budd BB-1 plane in front of the museum, designed by Enea Bossi and built by the Edward F. Budd Manufacturing Corporation; the plane has been on display there since 1935.

Current attractions include:

The Tuttleman IMAX Theater
The Fels Planetarium
Large-scale walk-through human heart
The Baldwin 60000 steam locomotive
The Wright Brothers Aeronautical Engineering Collection
The propeller of the Gossamer Albatross (on loan from Paul MacCready)

[edit] Mandell Center

This is a large space designed to house travelling exhibits at the museum. It has an upper level and a lower level, which can house either a single large exhibit or two smaller ones. As of October 2006, the upper level had on display an exhibit about Charles Darwin and evolution, while the lower level was housing an Animal Grossology exhibit. Some notable exhibits of the past have been:

The Titanic
Grossology
Storms
Body Worlds
Robots
Tutankhamun And The Golden Age Of The Pharoahs (on display until September 2007)

[edit] The Benjamin Franklin Awards

Since 1824 the Franklin Institute has issued one of the oldest and most prestigious awards for the fields of Science and Technology. The Awards Ceremony takes place at the end of a week-long celebration in April. A committee of academics and industry professionals determine the winners of the awards. Current Awards include: Chemistry, Computer and Cognitive Science, Earth Science, Engineering, Life Science, and Physics.

[edit] Trivia

The Franklin Institute was integrated in 1870, when Philadelphia teacher and activist Octavius Catto was admitted as a member.
On March 31, 1940, press agent William Castellini issued a press release stating that the world would end the next day. The story was picked up by KYW, which reported, "Your worst fears that the world will end are confirmed by astronomers of Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. Scientists predict that the world will end at 3 P.M. Eastern Standard Time tomorrow. This is no April Fool joke. Confirmation can be obtained from Wagner Schlesinger, director of the Fels Planetarium of this city." This caused a panic in the city which only subsided when the Franklin Institute assured people it had made no such prediction. Castellini was dismissed shortly thereafter. ^[2]
Philo Taylor Farnsworth gave the world's first public demonstration of an all-electronic television system at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on 25 August 1934.
Nikola Tesla demonstrated the principle of wireless telegraphy before at the Franklin Institute in 1893
The Franklin Institute Science Museum holds the largest collection of artifacts from the Wright brothers' workshop.
The Franklin Institute is hosting the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs" exhibit from February to October of 2007.
In the three-part Teen Titans storyline "Lights Out", the Teen Titans do battle with the villain Doctor Light in The Franklin Institute.
The building was featured prominently in the film, National Treasure