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Miscellaneous See other Miscellaneous Articles Title: 4 Facts You (Probably) Didn't Know About Benjamin Franklin On January 17, 1706, Benjamin Franklin was born in the city of Boston, which at that time was the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, a British crown colony. A man of amazingly diverse interests and talents, Franklin was perhaps the first American who might truly be described as a Renaissance man. Check out our trivia questions to see how much you know about the man who biographer H.W. Brands calls ¨the first American.¨ Why Is Franklin So Closely Associated with Philadelphia? Although born in Boston, Franklin set off on his own at age 17 after crossing swords once too often with his older brother James, a printer to whom the younger Franklin was apprenticed. After a brief stop in New York, Franklin settled in Philadelphia where he eventually assumed ownership of The Pennsylvania Gazette, which gave him a platform for his political views. It was also in Philadelphia that Franklin met Deborah Read, the woman who in 1730 became his common-law wife after her first husband ran off because he got into trouble with the law. Three years later, Franklin began publishing Poor Richard's Almanack under the pseudonym of Richard Saunders. Although it was widely known -- or at least suspected -- that Franklin was the man behind the commonsense observations for which the publication was famous, he steadfastly denied it. A successful businessman and active in local civic affairs, Franklin became ever more closely wedded to his adoptive hometown. Although he traveled far and wide throughout his lifetime, home for Franklin was always Philadelphia. What Role Did Franklin Play in Winning U.S. Independence? Benjamin Franklin, according to PBS, ¨has the unique distinction of having signed all three of the major documents that freed the colonies from British rule and established the United States as an independent nation.¨ Those three documents, in the order of their creation, were the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution. Franklin was one of a committee of five appointed by the Continental Congress to draft a formal document that justified the colonies' decision to cut ties with Britain. Other members of the committee were John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson took on the task of writing a first draft of the Declaration of Independence and asked Franklin to use his editing expertise to make whatever changes he deemed necessary. Although Franklin made very few revisions, the document underwent a number of major changes when it was handed over to the Continental Congress. What Are Some of Franklin's Most Famous Inventions? Widely known for his daring experiments with electricity, which resulted in the invention of the lightning rod, the innovative Franklin came up with many other inventions during his lifetime. Among these are bifocal glasses, the Franklin stove, a musical instrument Franklin called the glass armonica (yes, without the H), a mechanical arm that could be used to access books on high shelves, a flexible urinary catheter, odometer, and a writing chair with an arm on one side to provide a writing surface. Although Franklin is sometimes credited with inventing the rocking chair, the first such chair was developed in the early years of the 18th century when Franklin was still a child. To What Country Was Franklin Sent as an Ambassador? In 1776, the Continental Congress dispatched Franklin to France as a commissioner, a post that was roughly equivalent to ambassador. For the next nine years, Franklin represented American interests in France, one of Europe's two superpowers, the other being Britain. Franklin was instrumental in negotiating a critical military alliance with France in 1778. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 7.
#2. To: James Deffenbach, Deasy (#0)
Bens Mother was Abiah Folger, a Grandmother to me, a few times removed. She was sister of Peter Folger.
So you can trace your lineage back to Franklin. That's something to be proud of I think.
Actually it goes much farther back than Ben. There were twelve families that owned Nantucket, all intermarried, including Starbucks, Macy, Folgers etc etc. Franklins Mother was a driving force by herself, unusual for that time. Ben wrote extensively about the Gulf Stream, having crossed it many times. His interests were so varied that he use to chase thunderstorms on horseback.
Wonderful information, thank you.
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