BEN FRANKLIN: INVENTOR OF BIFOCALS?
Franklin’s Contribution to Optometry
Historians rightly credit Benjamin Franklin with many inventions and accomplishments, from helping draft the Declaration of Independence to discovering electricity. Many people also credit him with the invention of bifocals, a type of glasses with split lenses, which help the wearer see at both great and small distances. However, Franklin’s signature contribution to the science of optometry is, at best, debatable. Evidence suggests the idea of split lenses was thought up as early as 1683, over 20 years before Franklin was born, by inventor and illustrator Johann Zahn. Zahn was one of the pioneers of the science behind cameras and photography. Inventor C.G. Hertel also suggested the idea of split lenses in 1716. However, neither inventor wrote about these lenses with the idea that people would use them to improve their vision.
benefited from wearing bifocals. However, when he ordered a pair from an optician while in France, the optician indicated in a letter to Franklin that his order was out of the ordinary. The idea that Franklin invented the bifocals comes from a series of letters between the Founding Father and some of his friends. Franklin praises the invention of “double spectacles” (not referred to as “bifocals” until the term was coined by John Isaac Hawkins, the inventor of the trifocals, in 1824), but he does not say he invented them. Additionally, the only existing portrait of Franklin wearing bifocals was painted in 1785 when he was 81 years old.
Just because Franklin might not have invented bifocals does not mean he didn’t make any
important contributions to optometry. Franklin’s popularity made bifocals appealing, and many people wore them after his death in 1790. Just by wearing bifocals, Franklin may have improved the vision of thousands, and that in itself is incredibly significant.
It is likely some of Franklin’s friends in London were wearing split lenses while he lived there from 1757 to 1775, which may have influenced his decision to get a pair himself. Franklin had been farsighted since the 1730s, so he would have
HAVE A LAUGH
Juicy Lucy SLIDERS Inspired by Bon Appétit Magazine
INGREDIENTS
• 2 lbs. ground chuck beef, 20% lean • 8 slices melting cheese (like American, Swiss, Muenster, or cheddar) • 16 small potato rolls, toasted • Salt and pepper, to taste • Your favorite burger accompaniments
DIRECTIONS
1. Divide beef into 16 evenly sized balls. 2. Rip cheese into roughly equal pieces, creating 16 equal portions. 3. Using your index finger, create a small indentation in each ball. 4. Fill indention with cheese and pinch meat around to seal. Then gently form balls into 3/4-inch-thick patties. Season patties. 5. Meanwhile, heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high. 6. Lightly coat skillet with oil and cook patties in batches. Brown one side undisturbed, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium. 7. Serve on toasted potato rolls with your favorite accompaniments.
773-788-6974 | 3
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online