Benjamin Franklin - Quick facts

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk Street, in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706

He was the 15th child of seventeen children in the family.

He started his own successful printing business and published a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, for many years. He is most famous for "Poor Richard's Almanack" which he published for 25 years.

He started the Junto club where people could come together to exchange ideas. As a result of these meetings he started the first library in America, the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia, and the first hospital in Pennsylvania.

People appointed him postmaster and he created a working postal system. He even created the "Dead Letter Office".

He proved that lightning and electricity are the same thing using a kite, string, and key in a thunderstorm. His experiments earned him fame.

He was awarded honorary degrees from Harvard and Yale even though he lacked formal schooling.

He made studies of the Gulf Stream while on voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. He started the University of Pennsylvania.

He served as a diplomat * to France and spent about 10 years away from his family to further the cause of American independence.

He helped to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Some say when he died in 1790 the whole civilized world went into mourning. 20,000 people honored him at his funeral in Philadelphia.

People still visit his grave today and throw pennies on his headstone. Every year $6,000 worth of pennies are collected and given in his honor to help the poor.