Benjamin Franklin's Life
By Amber Borowski and Katelyn Keller
Franklin's Life
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. He was one of 17 children and the youngest son. He was abused by his older brother James, after becoming an apprentice at James's printing shop. Franklin, tired of his brother's "radical behavior", went to London in 1724 to expand his knowledge of the printing business. In 1775, Franklin went back to America by ship because Britain and America were not getting along anymore and war was underway. In 1747, age forty one, he retired the printing business and devoted the rest of his life to science.
Only 2 formal years of education (finished at 10 years old)
Poor Richard’s Almanack was being published for 25 years
- Almanack selling around 10,000 copies annually
His Inventions
Through Franklin's life he was devoted to self-improvement, and over all, the improvement of the society. He thought of ways to make things work better, and more efficiently. He is the man that founded and researched electricity. He found out about electricity with the legendary string and kite. Some of his well know inventions, like the bifocal glasses, are still used today.
Some of Benjamin Franklin's inventions are:
- The heating stove (called the Franklin stove)
- The Glass Armonica, which is musical instrument that uses moist glasses
- The lightning rod
- The Long Arm
Contributions to Finding America
Benjamin Franklin is well known in our history, greatly because he helped form intellectual groups and schools. He helped with the foundation of the American Philosophical Society. He also was a very important part in making the University of Pennsylvania. He also had a great idea and created some of the first public libraries. Franklin's university and libraries started with him are still in use today.
Benjamin Franklin also supported municipal projects in progress in Philadelphia like:
- Paving streets
- Installing sewer lines
- Improving street lighting
- Establishing fire brigade
Poor Richard's Almanack
An Almanack is an yearly written pamphlet that gave information to citizens. The Pamphlet consisted of weather reports, recipes, predictions and homilies. Franklin started publishing his "Poor Richard's Almanack" on December 19, 1732. Poor Richard was a fictional character that Franklin came up with. Print runs of the Almanack reached up to 10,000 per year.
The Almanac also included amusements including:
- Practical household hints
- Puzzles
- Comics
- Witty wordplay
Benjamin Franklin in a Nutshell