Benjamin Franklin Biography

Benjamin Franklin was an American scientist, philosopher, innovator and writer. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was called the ‘First American’. He invented various things throughout his life like swim fins, catheters, library chairs, step ladders, lightning rods, bifocal glasses and the Franklin stove. He contributed to science majorly through the field of electricity. He also helped form the Constitution of the United States.

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Massachusetts to Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. His father owned a candle-making business and his brother had a printing shop. He grew up in a large family and had sixteen siblings. Benjamin worked in his father’s candle and soap shop. But he wasn’t interested in this work. Due to his family’s financial conditions, Benjamin had to discontinue his education. He left school at the age of ten. He always loved reading and mastered many skills just by reading books. Even though he attended school for only two years, he learned foreign languages, grammar, science and maths. At the age of twelve, he started to work in his brother’s printing shop and learned the basics of business.

He was a great writer and wrote many articles. One of his works was published in the New England Courant. However, his father and brother didn’t support his writing. When Benjamin was only seventeen, he left the family business and traveled to Philadelphia. He got a job in a printing shop. He then went to London and got a typesetter’s job. In 1725, he wrote his first pamphlet, A Dissertation upon Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain.

At the age of 21, he started a Junto Club where people with similar tastes or opinions would meet. The group started the first library in America, when there were very limited books available to read. They collected books on various genres and displayed them in the library.

Franklin bought a newspaper called the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1733. He also wrote cooking recipes, predictions and weather reports in his Poor Richard’s Almanack. He helped the society in many ways. In 1736, he founded the first volunteer firefighting company called the Union Fire Company. In 1743, Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society. Many organizations that were started by him still exist today. He also worked as a postmaster and formed a practical postal system.

During 1748, Franklin was considered as one of the richest men in Pennsylvania. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He worked as an ambassador for England. He warned the British government about the risks of taxes. His major contribution was writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. Franklin was also against slavery. He was the first person to raise his voice about this issue.

Franklin’s most intriguing discovery was noticing electricity in lightning. He performed many tests and proved that lightning is in fact constituted of electricity.

He invented bifocal glasses for people with weak eyesight in 1784. Franklin’s most famous discovery was the Gulf Stream. When he traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in 1775, he accidentally unearthed the Gulf Stream.

Some of his major works include The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin written from 1771-90. In 1758; he published The Way to Wealth. These two books became his bestsellers. He even wrote a guidebook which helped handle finances. He also taught entrepreneurial skills to readers, which he had learned in his early years.

In 1753, he received the Royal Society’s Copley Medal for his invention in the field of electricity.

The same year, he was honored with degrees from Harvard as well as Yale University for his scientific work.

Franklin got married to Deborah Reed in 1730. They had three children.

He died on April 17, 1790, at the of 84 in age Pennsylvania. Thousands of people attended Franklin’s funeral. He fought to change people’s lives and left a great legacy behind. He touched many lives because of his love for humanity. After his death, the Benjamin Franklin Award was introduced. His images were also used in dollar bills and stamps. He was known as the ‘First American’ and many areas in America such as the North Franklin Township, Nebraska and North are named after Benjamin Franklin.

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