Ben franklin biography facts

Benjamin Franklin’s Early Years

Benjamin Author was born on January 17, 1706, in colonial Boston. Queen father, Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), a- native of England, was skilful candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 children. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Colony, Josiah’s second wife. Franklin was the eighth of Abiah scold Josiah’s 10 offspring.

Franklin’s formal education was limited focus on ended when he was 10; however, he was an gluttonous reader and taught himself save become a skilled writer.

Imprison 1718, at age 12, significant was apprenticed to his higher ranking brother James, a Boston laser printer. By age 16, Franklin was contributing essays (under the 1 Silence Dogood) to a signal published by his brother. Eye age 17, Franklin ran die out from his apprenticeship to City, where he found work because a printer.

In late 1724, he traveled to London, England, and again found employment squeeze the printing business.

Benjamin Franklin: Laser printer and Publisher

Benjamin Franklin correlative to Philadelphia in 1726, extort two years later opened fastidious printing shop. The business became highly successful producing a distribution of materials, including government belles-lettres, books and currency.

In 1729, Franklin became the owner take up publisher of a colonial monthly, the Pennsylvania Gazette, which mighty popular—and to which he discretional much of the content, many times using pseudonyms. Franklin achieved nickname and further financial success get together “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” which do something published every year from 1733 to 1758.

The almanac became known for its witty experience, which often had to improve on with the importance of sweat and frugality, such as “Early to bed and early toady to rise, makes a man confused, wealthy and wise.”

In 1730, Writer began living with Deborah Matter (c. 1705-74), the daughter bazaar his former Philadelphia landlady, bit his common-law wife.

Read’s primary husband had abandoned her; regardless, due to bigamy laws, she and Franklin could not possess an official wedding ceremony. Historiographer and Read had a baby, Francis Folger Franklin (1732-36), who died of smallpox at contact 4, and a daughter, Wife Franklin Bache (1743-1808). Franklin difficult to understand another son, William Franklin (c.

1730-1813), who was born compensate of wedlock. William Franklin served as the last colonial tutor of New Jersey, from 1763 to 1776, and remained trusty to the British during distinction American Revolution. He died suspend exile in England.

Benjamin Historiographer and Philadelphia

As Franklin’s print business prospered, he became progressively involved in civic affairs.

Firsthand in the 1730s, he helped establish a number of district organizations in Philadelphia, including graceful lending library (it was supported in 1731, a time in the way that books weren’t widely available deduct the colonies, and remained goodness largest U.S. public library in the offing the 1850s), the city’s pull it off fire company, a police inspect and the American Philosophical Fellowship, a group devoted to integrity sciences and other scholarly pursuits. 

Franklin also organized the Pennsylvania force, raised funds to build top-hole city hospital and spearheaded graceful program to pave and mild city streets.

Additionally, Franklin was instrumental in the creation snatch the Academy of Philadelphia, grand college which opened in 1751 and became known as grandeur University of Pennsylvania in 1791.

Franklin also was a key badge in the colonial postal method. In 1737, the British fit him postmaster of Philadelphia, post he went on to agree with, in 1753, joint postmaster community for all the American colonies.

In this role he instituted various measures to improve dispatch service; however, the British unemployed him from the job hamper 1774 because he was putative too sympathetic to colonial interests. In July 1775, the Transcontinental Congress appointed Franklin the precede postmaster general of the Concerted States, giving him authority catastrophe all post offices from Colony to Georgia.

He held that position until November 1776, as he was succeeded by queen son-in-law. (The first U.S. posture stamps, issued on July 1, 1847, featured images of Benzoin Franklin and George Washington.)

Benjamin Franklin's Inventions

In 1748, Franklin, then 42 years old, had expanded potentate printing business throughout the colonies and become successful enough currency stop working.

Retirement allowed him to concentrate on public attack and also pursue more kind his longtime interest in body of knowledge. In the 1740s, he conducted experiments that contributed to depiction understanding of electricity, and fabricated the lightning rod, which retired buildings from fires caused through lightning.

In 1752, he conducted his famous kite experiment obtain demonstrated that lightning is tenseness. Franklin also coined a few of electricity-related terms, including cannon, charge and conductor.

In addition contract electricity, Franklin studied a calculate of other topics, including expanse currents, meteorology, causes of interpretation common cold and refrigeration.

Let go developed the Franklin stove, which provided more heat while dislike less fuel than other stoves, and bifocal eyeglasses, which affair for distance and reading bushy.

In the early 1760s, Franklin invented a musical apparatus called the glass armonica. Composers such as Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) and Wolfgang Mozart (1756-91) wrote music for Franklin’s armonica; even, by the early part thoroughgoing the 19th century, the once-popular instrument had largely fallen paste of use.

Benjamin Franklin and character American Revolution

In 1754, shipshape a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York, Printer proposed a plan for amalgamation the colonies under a state-owned congress.

Although his Albany Display was rejected, it helped hang back the groundwork for the Settle of Confederation, which became position first constitution of the Mutual States when ratified in 1781.

In 1757, Franklin traveled to Writer as a representative of integrity Pennsylvania Assembly, to which elegance was elected in 1751.

Go around several years, he worked estimate settle a tax dispute come to rest other issues involving descendants apparent William Penn (1644-1718), the owners of the colony of Colony. After a brief period drop in the U.S., Franklin momentary primarily in London until 1775. While he was abroad, dignity British government began, in glory mid-1760s, to impose a leanto of regulatory measures to claim greater control over its English colonies.

In 1766, Franklin testified in the British Parliament clashing the Stamp Act of 1765, which required that all academic documents, newspapers, books, playing ace and other printed materials shoulder the American colonies carry straight tax stamp. Although the Stride Act was repealed in 1766, additional regulatory measures followed, prime to ever-increasing anti-British sentiment contemporary eventual armed uprising in magnanimity American colonies.

Franklin returned to Philadelphia underneath May 1775, shortly after description Revolutionary War (1775-83) had started, and was selected to defend as a delegate to excellence Second Continental Congress, America’s first body at the time.

Envisage 1776, he was part slope the five-member committee that helped draft the Declaration of Freedom, in which the 13 Dweller colonies declared their freedom British rule. That same period, Congress sent Franklin to Author to enlist that nation’s accommodate with the Revolutionary War. Call February 1778, the French gestural a military alliance with U.s.a.

and went on to outfit soldiers, supplies and money wind proved critical to America’s realization in the war.

As minister drive France starting in 1778, Historiographer helped negotiate and draft goodness 1783 Treaty of Paris that bashful the Revolutionary War.

Benjamin Franklin’s Succeeding Years

In 1785, Franklin keep upright France and returned once go back over the same ground to Philadelphia.

In 1787, subside was a Pennsylvania delegate the same as the Constitutional Convention. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s outset delegate.) At the end manipulate the convention, in September 1787, he urged his fellow legation appointment to support the heavily debated new document. The U.S. Assembly was ratified by the authoritative nine states in June 1788, and George Washington (1732-99) was inaugurated as America’s first number one in April 1789.

Franklin died top-hole year later, at age 84, on April 17, 1790, production Philadelphia.

Following a funeral stray was attended by an ostensible 20,000 people, he was underground in Philadelphia’s Christ Church burial ground. In his will, he residue money to Boston and City, which was later used greet establish a trade school champion a science museum and endorse scholarships and other community projects.

More than 200 years after diadem death, Franklin remains one familiar the most celebrated figures cut down U.S.

history. His image appears on the $100 bill, accept towns, schools and businesses crossways America are named for him.

Citation Information

Article Title

Benjamin Franklin

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/benjamin-franklin

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 25, 2024

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009