Although Benjamin Franklin had invented many things in his lifetime, he refused to patent any one of them. His philosophy was that it is better to help everyone than it is to help one's self. His experiments and inventions were meant only to be used for the convenience of other people, not to make himself any money or fame. (The fame part was apparently inevitable.) Other than inventing things to better people's lives, Franklin created new techniques to aid people in doing all sorts of things. In the early 1760's, Franklin took the title of Postmaster in Philadelphia. He decided to better organize the mail route. He invented a simple odometer and attached it to his carriage. With it, he measured the route and calculated a more efficient course by which to deliver the mail. This shortened the time required to get mail by days in some cases. Franklin also showed Americans how to improve acidic soil by treating it with lime before planting. This made much more land cultivable. He discovered that when oil is poured into rough seas, the water is calmed and more easily navigable. (Not that that would be a common practice today.) Franklin discovered that diseases flourished in poorly vented places. This lead to sterile hospital rooms hence better health care. Franklin had very logical opinions on everything he dealt with. During Franklin's life, many people complained about daylight saving time. It was an inconvenience for them to set their clocks back and ahead annually. Franklin liked the concept. He is quoted as saying, "It is silly and wasteful that people should live much by candle-light and sleep by sunshine." In Paris while observing the first successful hot air balloon flight, Franklin observed many skeptic people asking "What good is it?" He replied, "What good is a newborn baby?" He could see potential in all new things....
