Benjamin Franklin
Polymath, inventor and Founding Father
Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath who helped found the United States. He worked as a printer, scientist, diplomat and inventor.
1 summary 16 min of listening
American Born 1706 in Boston Died 1790
Influenced by Thomas Paine, David Hume
About Benjamin Franklin
Franklin lived from 1706 to 1790 and was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He became a printer and newspaper editor in Philadelphia, and at 23 he was publishing The Pennsylvania Gazette. He also wrote Poor Richard's Almanack under the pen name Richard Saunders. His work on electricity placed him among the major figures in the history of physics, and his inventions include the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove. He helped draft and signed the Declaration of Independence, and he served as the first US ambassador to France. He also founded civic groups such as the Library Company and the University of Pennsylvania. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is his book in the BookBits catalog.