Ben Franklin Stove - Ben Franklin Stoves | Benjamin Franklin

On June 11, 1742, Benjamin Franklin invented his Franklin stove. From the article:

"In 1742, Benjamin Franklin announced his invention. It was a cast-iron fireplace with a hollow baffle and an inverted syphon in the rear that pulled the smoke and heat down below the floor before exiting up through the chimney. This flue allowed more heat to remain in the home and the hollow baffle would create a draft that pulled the smoke and heat through the syphon. Unfortunately, the flue system also had a drawback which ultimately hindered the number of sales for Benjamin Franklin Stoves; because the flue brought cold air into the rear of the fireplace, the smoke often cooled too much before it reached the chimney, destroying the draft which the baffle was designed to create. It was certainly not Franklin's greatest invention but he did hope that it would help his fellow colonial subjects and reduce the amount of wood they needed to burn as well as reducing the frequency of house fires."