We have a Brit to thank for the tale of Ben Franklin’s kite that epitomizes the spirit of innovation in America. “Dr. Franklin, astonishing as it must have appeared, contrived actually to bring lightning from the heavens,” wrote Joseph Priestley, whose 1767 book on electricity catapulted Scientist Ben to legendary status. But curiously, historians have overlooked a subsequent exchange of ideas between Franklin and Priestley that foreshadowed a radical new way of thinking about life on earth.
In his new book, The Invention of Air: A Story of Science, Faith, Revolution, and the Birth of America, Steven Johnson chronicles Priestley’s life as scientist, minister, and revolutionary confidant of the Founding Fathers. In this month’s cover story, “Green Ben,” p. 26, Johnson reveals how Franklin’s encouragement led Priestley to discover that breathable air is concocted by plants. He also argues that Franklin was more than two centuries ahead of his time in recognizing the far-reaching consequences the discovery would have on our understanding of earth’s environment. For Johnson, the story is a parable of ingenuity that still resonates in the Internet Age. “Most important ideas enter the pantheon because they circulate,” Johnson says. “And the flow is two ways. Ideas are triggered by other people’s ideas.”
