Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Benjamin Franklin?
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It’s time to chat about Benjamin Franklin facts.
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Facts About Benjamin Franklin
1 – Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, 1706 in Boston Massachusetts.
2 – Benjamin Franklin was the first American to publish an autobiography.
3 – He organized a group of volunteers in 1747, called “The Union Fire Company” that became one of America’s oldest businesses.
4 – In 1752 he began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack which contained his famous quotations such as “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
5 – His most famous inventions were bifocal glasses, the lightning rod, and the Franklin stove.
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6 – He died on April 17th, 1790 at age 84 years old.
7 – His parents were uneducated and could not write.
8 – When he was 12 years old, he became an apprentice to his older brother, a printer by the name of James Franklin. His first job as a printer’s assistant was to sweep the shop and run errands for his brother.
9 – Benjamin Franklin had 16 siblings. His father, Josiah, had seven children with his first wife, Anne Child, and 10 more with Abiah Folger.
10 – In 1727 benjamin published “Poor richard’s almanack” under the pseudonym Richard Saunders.
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11 – He played an important role as an ambassador to France during the Revolutionary War.
12 – In his later years he became one of America’s first great diplomats and helped draft both The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution.
13 – When he died, it took 12 years for him to be re-interred in a crypt with his wife because they had no idea where to bury him!
14 – His last words were “A dying man can do nothing easy.”
15 – His favorite word was “happiness.”
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16 – He is the only Founding Father who signed all four of the documents that created our country.
17 – He has been called “The First American” because his life exemplifies the values that define Americans today.
18 – In 1757 he founded the first public lending library in America and also created an educational series entitled “Poor Richard’s Almanack” which he published annually for twenty years to help instruct young people about farming techniques and other aspects of rural life.
19 – The most famous publication from this series was Poor Richard’s Proverbs (1758), which contains words of wisdom such as “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”.
20 – His most famous experiment was flying a kite in a thunderstorm to see if lightning could be conducted into an object.
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21 – In 1836, his body was exhumed from its grave and moved to the crypts below the US Capitol Building where it now rests among other notable Americans including George Washington and John Adams.
22 – Franklin’s favorite food was turtle soup, which he enjoyed with his friends John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
23 – Benjamin Franklin was the first person to use electricity in a lightning rod.
24 – Founded the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (the nation’s first university).
25 – He played an important role in the American Revolution. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence.
He proposed that America become a nation with 13 colonies instead of one big colony because it would be easier to govern.
His motto was “Diligence” which meant to work hard at what you do.
The original name of Philadelphia was Franklinton but it changed after Franklin died because the city wanted to honor him by naming it after him.
Another famous quote is “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Franklin’s political cartoon “Join or Die” is considered to be the first true political cartoon in America.
