 Ben was one of those
people you know well. Or at least you think you do.
Alan and Ann Rothschild run the Rothschild Peterson Patent Model
Museum in Cazenovia, N.Y. When I spoke with Alan, he told me an
interesting story about Ben -- one that I had never heard since I
began writing this column.
Ben's most recognizable invention is still used on many cars,
even though cars weren't introduced until long after he was born.
Did I mention Dr. Ben's full name? He often went by his initials,
which were B.F., and as the headline to this story indicates, his
initials were famous. But there's hardly a soul anywhere who could
tell you his full name. Even most Philadelphia residents don't know.
His parents, Anson and Susan, were from Ripley, N.Y. Ben was a
surgeon in the war. As I was doing the research for this story, I
found that there is very little information on him. I couldn't find
much about his family, such as whether or not he had any brothers or
sisters. Was he married and, if so, did he have any kids? As
well-known as his company is, you would think that there would be
more information about him.
What was Ben's main invention that is still used on cars today,
more than 100 years later?
Synthetic rubber. After reaching a licensing agreement with
Charles Goodyear, who went broke despite creating vulcanized rubber,
Ben figured out how to mass-produce synthetic rubber.
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 The company he founded is no longer in the tire business, but in
1923 they were responsible for naming an invention that caught on
with the public -- the zipper, which was used on the rubber boots
they manufactured. They helped launch the zipper when they became
one of the first companies to place a large order for it.
The identity of this story's inventor probably appears to be
pretty obvious to you by now, but as they say in the NFL, "Upon
further review…"
Ben Franklin established one of the first research labs in the
United States. In fact, his company's production of synthetic rubber
helped the United States win World War II, as the country had lost
its supply of natural rubber.
The company he established would later supply Charles Lindbergh
with the airplane tires that he used on his solo flight from New
York to Paris. He also established the first rubber company west of
the Allegheny Mountains, helping make Akron, Ohio, the "Rubber
Capital of the World" in the process. All of this is probably why
Anson and Susan Goodrich were glad that they named their son after
such a great inventor like Ben Franklin.
Because that's what the "B.F." in B.F. Goodrich stands for!
[By
PAUL NIEMANN]
Paul Niemann's column is syndicated
to more than 70 newspapers. He is the author of the "Invention
Mysteries" series of books and can be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2009
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