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412 The Franklin Stove
Description
It might surprise you, but in the 18th century, people across the globe were reckoning with colder-than-usual weather brought on by the Little Ice Age—a centuries-long chill that made heating homes more urgent than ever.
At the same time, early Americans were cutting down trees at an unsustainable pace to stay warm. Enter Benjamin Franklin.
In this episode, Harvard historian Joyce Chaplin joins us to explore how Franklin tackled this problem by designing five different stove models, and what these innovations reveal about early American science, sustainability, and life with fire.
Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/412
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