Franklin’s electrical discoveries were closely intertwined with the work
of Italian scientists.
• Giambatista Beccaria, a prominent Italian scientist, was largely responsible
for the acceptance of Franklin’s theories in Italy.
• Franklin met with Alessandro Volta in France. While Franklin successfully
stored electricity in what he called a "battery," it was Volta who
created the modern chemical battery (which he called electrophorus).
• In the late 1700s, the Accademia degli Incolti in Rome was the first building
in Italy to install Franklin’s lightning rod on its roof.
Franklin received honors and memberships from a number of Italian scientific
societies.
• Reale Accademia di Scienze in Padua (Padova)
• Reale Accademia delle Scienze in Torino
• Società Patriotica diretta all’avanzamento dell’ Agricoltura
delle Arti e delle Manifatture in Milan
