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In 1870, Lord Rayleigh used oil and water to calculate the size of molecules
How Ben Franklin and Lord Rayleigh used little more than oil and water to calculate a molecule's size.
He was also the first to demonstrate that lightning is electrical in nature (via his famous kite experiments), and he charted the Gulf Stream’s course across the Atlantic ocean, noting that ships traveling from America to England took longer than those going the opposite direction. In his journal, he opined on how much oil might be needed to calm various areas of ocean (he was thinking specifically about applications for the Royal Navy) but never grasped the molecular implications of his experiments. For those interested in delving deeper into the history of these oil drop experiments, Charles Tanford's book, Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves, offers an extensive exploration.
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