Ben Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

Ben was born January 17, 1706 in Boston Massachusetts. He was the youngest boy in his family. He was one of seventeen children. He was very smart at reading and writing but he failed at arithmetic. After only two years of school his father decided he had learned enough. Ben's father needed him to work alongside of him at his candle making shop.

Benjamin worked as an apprentice for his brother who ran a newspaper. He started writing things for his brother's newspaper under the name Silence Dogood. Know one knew it was really Ben. He really enjoyed writing. At 21 he started his own printing shop. When he was 24 he married his dream girl Deborah Read. He retired from the printing business at age 42.

Ben was always fascinated with science. The world was full of mysteries that no one could explain. He experimented with electricity and published letters that became the most up to date findings about electricity. He was responsible for many inventions. Some of them are, bifocal eyeglasses, a musical instrument called the Armonica, the Franklin stove, he improved street light and even designed a bathtub and encouraged people to bathe regularly.

In the 1750's the colonies had many different agreements. People looked to Ben for leadership in times of war. He became involved in politics. He helped write the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States of America. He served our country in many different ways. He sailed across the Atlantic eight different times in his lifetime. He was a representative of the United States.

On April 17, 1790, with his family alongside his bed he died. He was 84. More than 20,000 people went to his funeral. It was the biggest funeral they had ever had in Philadelphia.