How Franklin and Folger mapped the Gulf Stream for navigation

Mapping the Gulf Stream cut sailing times

Roughly Two Weeks Saved

The Gulf Stream was already known in the sixteenth century. Benjamin Franklin and Timothy Folger charted and codified it for navigation, eventually allowing British captains to cut roughly two weeks from their sailing times.

Agriculture made slavery more widespread

Slavery was rare among hunter-gatherers because it depended on economic surpluses and substantial population density. Agriculture made those conditions more common about 11,000 years ago; slavery became widespread only after they did.

Earth’s magnetic field pushes away much of the solar wind

Moving material deep inside Earth creates its magnetic field. That field forms a protective region around the planet that pushes away much of the solar wind, although it also traps some charged particles.

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How Franklin and Folger mapped the Gulf Stream for navigation

Mapping the Gulf Stream cut sailing times

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