Benjamin Franklin - you snooze, you lose - scuba related

The United States is honoring the tercentenary of the birth of Benjamin
Franklin, one of this Nation's original scientists, thinkers and founding
fathers, with two commemorative silver dollars from the United States Mint.

Born January 17, 1706, Franklin pursued a variety of interests, bringing new
ideas to science and journalism while serving as a leader of the American
Revolution. For nearly six decades, Franklin conducted experiments and
published insights that still hold true today.

In fact, most people already know that he experimented with electricity,
invented bifocals and wrote Poor Richard's Almanack, the annual best-selling
pamphlet with aphorisms like, "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man
healthy, wealthy and wise."

But many people don't know that Franklin: invented the flexible catheter,
swimfins and the lightning rod; founded the first hospital and first
volunteer firefighting company in America; and established the field of
meteorology when he realized that some storms travel.

He also became the only person, at age 81, to sign all four of the major
documents instrumental to the founding of the United States - the
Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Treaty of
Paris and the Treaty of Alliance, Amity and Commerce, in which France
recognized and supported the United States.

The Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Program comprises two silver
dollars - "Scientist" and "Founding Father" - available in both proof and
uncirculated conditions. Surcharges from the program are authorized to be
paid to the Franklin Institute for purposes of the Benjamin Franklin
Tercentenary Commission, a non-profit alliance established by Congress to
commemorate the tercentenary and to educate the public about Franklin's
legacy.

Authorized by Public Law 108-464, each coin is limited to a maximum mintage
of 250,000 across all product options and may be issued only during the
one-year period beginning January 1, 2006. All coins sold out in a matter
of days meaning you need to buy yours on eBay or someplace in the
aftermarket.

Yes, this is scuba related: Inventor of the swimfin. I didn't know that.
)

ben bradlee wrote:
> The United States is honoring the tercentenary of the birth of Benjamin
> Franklin, one of this Nation's original scientists, thinkers and founding
> fathers, with two commemorative silver dollars from the United States Mint.

(snip)
>
> Yes, this is scuba related: Inventor of the swimfin. I didn't know that.
> )

In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin described swimming with
wooden paddles on his hands and feet as a youth, and observed
that they worked much better than his bare hands and feet.

Although Ben is one of the men I admire most, others had done
the same thing before him and Ben merely experimented with the idea.

But it is scuba related.

m

mike gray wrote:
> ben bradlee wrote:
>
>> The United States is honoring the tercentenary of the birth of
>> Benjamin Franklin, one of this Nation's original scientists, thinkers
>> and founding fathers, with two commemorative silver dollars from the
>> United States Mint.
>
>
> (snip)
>
>>
>> Yes, this is scuba related: Inventor of the swimfin. I didn't know
>> that. )
>
>
> In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin described swimming with wooden
> paddles on his hands and feet as a youth, and observed that they worked
> much better than his bare hands and feet.
>
> Although Ben is one of the men I admire most, others had done the same
> thing before him and Ben merely experimented with the idea.
>
> But it is scuba related.
>
> m
>
where's the guns, sex, and dead lawyers?