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Benjamin Franklin’s Obsession With Being Naked
The famous American didn’t believe in bathing with water, but instead preferred to take “air baths”
Benjamin Franklin, writer, inventor, statesman, was one of the most prominent founding fathers of the United States for not only his accomplishments, but also his biting wit and impressive intelligence. He was frequently far ahead of his time when it came to innovation, but was notoriously old fashioned when it came to bathing. Instead of giving himself a good scrub with soap and water, he greatly preferred what he called “air baths,” where he would sit completely naked in front of the windows of his home or where he was staying for as long as an hour and let the air naturally wash his nude body.
Born in Boston in 1706 as the youngest of 17 children, Franklin moved to Philadelphia when he was a young man. His cleverness as a writer and scholar quickly built his reputation and eventually made him into a well-known public figure. At various times, he served as the Postmaster General for British America, the first American Postmaster General, Minister to France and Sweden, and Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly.
He was also a voracious mind who put his thoughts into practice, inventing bifocal glasses, lightning rods, a urinary catheter, a stove and…
