She was a renowned scientist in the late 19th to early 20th century, an era when it was difficult for women to pursue these fields. Yet, not only was she the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize, but also awarded it in two different scientific fields, Physics and Chemistry. To date, no one else has accomplished that.
What was the secret to her genius?
Here are some tips any of us can follow to pursue excellence in our chosen field of study:
As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, this July 4, 2026, let’s
have a look at one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin.
He was not only key in winning the American Revolution, but also in drafting
the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and supporting the
Bill of Rights, ensuring our rights as free citizens.
Ben Franklin embodied the American dream—poor boy who made good—publisher, inventor, writer, scientist, postmaster, diplomat, statesman. At the time of the Revolutionary War, he was the most famous American overseas whereas no one heard of George Washington. Ben Franklin loved London, had a residence there, the most prominent colonial (non-British) scientist elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London.
Though the colonists had grievances with the Crown, such as the Stamp Act, “Taxation without Representation”, the Boston Massacre, Franklin remained a loyal British subject and had a vision that the Crown could patch us their differences with the colonists and expand the British Empire into North America.
But when London got news of the Boston Tea Party, Ben Franklin was called into the Privy Council of Parliament, a place called the “cockpit” (Henry VIII had cock fights there). There, he endured vicious personal verbal attacks and was stripped from his position of Deputy Postmaster of North America.
Franklin kept quiet during the long tirade of insults against him. It
was said that day he went into the “cockpit” as a loyal British
subject, but he came out as an American.
The Revolution? He was all
in!
First, he helped draft and edit the Declaration of Independence. He
changed the phrasing to “We hold these truths to be self-evident”
then signed it, saying: “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
Allies were needed to fight the mighty British Army. As a key
American diplomat, Franklin secured an alliance with France, and
later Spain and the Dutch Republic, making the Revolutionary War a
global war. France recognized the United States as a nation and
provided military support.
The climax was in Virginia. The Americans cornered the British Army
in the west and the French fleet bottled them up in the harbor to the
east. Thus, General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington and
the French at Yorktown in 1781. The Americans were formally
recognized their independence by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
Next was forming a government without a king. That took a few years.
As the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention, Ben Franklin
signed the Constitution in 1787. Franklin supported adding the Bill
of Rights, though he did not live to see it happen. In his youth, he
was surrounded by people, including his father, who vividly
remembered the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The mass hysteria of those
trials, which resulted in executions of innocents, served as a
cautionary tale during the debates of the Constitution as well as the
Bill of Rights. It demonstrated what can happen with unchecked
government power, religious fanaticism, and lack of legal safeguards.
Thus, the Bill of Rights corrected the Salem injustices with rights:
trial by jury, no self-incrimination, right to confront accusers and
cross-examination, right to a speedy and public trial, ban on cruel
and unusual punishment. Also, the First Amendment guaranteed freedoms
of religion, speech, press, and assembly.
But it was the Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms,
that put teeth into the Bill of Rights as the enforcer of the rest of
the rights.
The winning of the American Revolution and our Rights as a free
people hung on Ben Franklin. Loyal British subject turned American.
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Supporter of the Bill of Rights. Diplomat to create global alliances
that won the war. And the face of our $100 bill.
These are the characters of my new mystery series: Jane's Buns Mystery.
Book 1: The Missing Ingredients
It’s Christmas season. Jane is busy baking buns and other holiday treats. Some things are missing: people and ingredients.
Jane Meyer and Alfie Dawkins are working for an impoverished Duke on one of the UK’s failing estates. The Duke’s son has gone missing, raising alarms within the British government. Meanwhile, vagrant Burt Duffy, Jane’s friend, has disappeared without a trace.
Alfie hatches an out-of-this-world plan, combined with Jane’s baking skills, to hunt for Burt as well as track down the Duke’s son.
Will the missing ingredients be found in time for Christmas?
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In this series, Jane Meyer and Alfie Dawkins are aspirational heroes whom ordinary people can aspire to be.
Alfie takes on the role of the handyman and helps out the widow ladies.
Buns are Jane's forte.
Check out this English recipe below--something Jane might make.
By December 1776, the prospects of victory for the Continental Army seemed remote. The British had driven General Washington from New York to retreat to Pennsylvania. The annual enlistments of American soldiers were expiring at the end of the year, and funds and morale were low. If there was ever a need for a Christmas miracle, it was needed in 1776.
In this bleak setting on Christmas Day, General Washington made a daring move to attack the enemy, crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey. The day after Christmas, Washington caught the Hessians by surprise and won the Battle of Trenton. That victory boosted the morale of the Continentals and spurred the troops to continue fighting and eventually win the war.
During the darkest days of the American Revolution, George Washington made a bold move on Christmas Day in 1776 by crossing the Delaware River.
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