# Why aren't there any electricity units named for Benjamin Franklin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589 "2010-06-17T19:46:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589/21 "2010-06-18T23:10:56Z")
We here in Philadelphia are extremely proud of Franklin. The kite with key and bolt are used as an emblem everywhere. However, if you listen to the lectures at the Franklin Institute, they stress the experiment as rather minor. Franklin was a great man and we have plenty of other things to be proud of him for. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589/22 "2010-06-19T01:17:26Z")
My guess is that he wasn’t arrogant enough to name his discovery after himself, which says more about those who did than Franklin himself. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589/23 "2010-06-19T14:11:36Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > My guess is that he wasn’t arrogant enough to name his discovery after himself, which says more about those who did than Franklin himself. As **Bonzer** notes, units named after scientists are usually named by _other_, later scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589/24 "2010-06-19T15:18:00Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > I think back then, a more likely nomenclature would’ve been “Franklin’s Miracle Erection” or somesuch. That’s no improvement, though. But even so, it still wouldn’t be an electrical _unit_ named after Franklin – wait, yes, yes it would. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589/25 "2010-06-19T16:26:04Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > We here in Philadelphia are extremely proud of Franklin. The kite with key and bolt are used as an emblem everywhere. However, if you listen to the lectures at the Franklin Institute, they stress the experiment as rather minor. Franklin was a great man and we have plenty of other things to be proud of him for. Indeed. In Philadelphia alone he’s got a major bridge, a major road, a major museum, at least one school, a large shopping mall and a college football stadium. Which personally I think is appropriate, because while he was a decent scientist, Franklin certainly wasn’t an expert in anything, but rather a dabbler. He did a bit of this and some of that and tried out this other thing. He was pretty good at most of them, but it’s not as if he dedicated his life to the study of electricity. > [@Superhal](#): > > My guess is that he wasn’t arrogant enough to name his discovery after himself, which says more about those who did than Franklin himself. Lack of arrogance was _not_ Franklin’s problem. If you read his writings, particularly his autobiography, it becomes pretty clear that he very much was aware of just how awesome he was. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589/26 "2010-06-19T17:06:51Z")
Because he had a stove named after him. Only one per customer. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589/27 "2010-06-19T18:50:10Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Lack of arrogance was _not_ Franklin’s problem. If you read his writings, particularly his autobiography, it becomes pretty clear that he very much was aware of just how awesome he was. This is my understanding, as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-electricity-units-named-for-benjamin-franklin/543589.md?page=1)