A Chart of the Gulf Stream

A Chart of the Gulf Stream

Benjamin Franklin

1786

This cartography of the gulf stream created by Benjamin Franklin, who also discovered the usefulness of the gulf stream, shows how the gulf stream that flows alongside the east coast has a rather fast current and was used to travel from places on the east coast of America and also to sort of "catch a good wind" to sail to Europe. The chart was originally sketched y Franklin's cousin, Timothy Folger, and was then published by Franklin. The gulf stream is said to get ships travel twice as quickly as a regular current, which greatly benefited sea travel. Therefore, after 1786, ships usually used the gulf stream for travel.

Makeda Fekede

"How Has Our Understanding of Florida Changed over Time?" Charting the Land of Flowers. Tampa Bay History Center, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

(1) Original document is out of copyright (it was published before 1923). Every effort has been made to comply with the provisions of any licensing agreements associated with digitization of the original document. For further information, please see the “about” page.

English

Map image

**Map *1786 *Cartography *Innovation in sea travel
*Gulf Stream