Plate tectonics (from the Late Latin tectonicus, from the Greek: ÏÎµÎºÏÎ¿Î½Î¹ÎºÏÏ pertaining to building) is a scientific theory describing the large-scale motion of 7 large plates and the movements of a larger number of smaller plates of the Earth's lithosphere, over the last hundreds of millions of years.
1600s | 1700s | 1800âs. Benjamin Franklin was one of most innovative Americans of all time. In deed, his work and experiments resulted in several important discoveries and inventions including electricity, bifocal glasses, a usable battery and many more. Ben Franklin believed electricity could be harnessed from lightning. In 1752, he devised an experiment to test his theory. Although details of the experiment remain sketchy to this day, Franklin originally wanted to test his theory atop a spire that was to be built on a Philadelphia church.
Top 10 Ben Franklin Inventions. Although Franklin was a bit soft around the middle in his later years, in his youth he was a strapping, broad-shouldered specimen of a man. Well, at least that's what he claims in his autobiography. Either way, Franklin credited his physique to being a vigorous swimmer. When he was posted to London in the 1750s, he was known to take daily dips in the Thames. When he was an 11-year-old in Boston, Franklin's first invention was a pair of oval planks with holes through their centres. Grasping the two planks with his hands, Franklin used the fins to give him a bit of extra thrust underwater.