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1440
Creation of Printing Press
Creation of machine that used force to press ink into paper. -
Ben's first experience with newspapers
Ben's brother James started The New England Courant as Boston's first newspaper. Ben wrote fake letters for the paper under a false name to be allowed to write. -
Creation of Paper
Samuel Keimer created the first paper, called The Universal Instructor in all Arts and Sciences: and Pennsylvania Gazette -
Busy-Body
Franklin and Joseph Breintnall wrote many essays attacking Samuel Keimer, eventually driving him out of the business -
Purchase of Paper
Franklin and Meredith buy the paper and rename it with a shorter name -
Library Company
Franklin created the first subscription library -
Poor Richard's Almanak
Franklin published Poor Richard's Almanack under the name Richard Saunders. Franklin's almanac was different because of his witty sayings and writing style. Quotes such as "A penny saved is a penny earned" were coined in this paper. -
Philadelphia's Union Fire Company
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure -
Retirement
Franklin's printing business was doing well in the 1730s and 1740s and he began setting up other businesses in different cities. -
American Philosophical Society
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Electricity
Ben began focusing on science, experiments, electricity and inventions. he had created bifocals, swim fins, the glass armonica, and the heat-efficient stove. He began studying electricity and brought about his fame. -
Pennsylvania Hospital
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Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance Against Loss by Fire
Those with insurance policies were not wiped out financially -
First Political Cartoon
Join or Die, drawn by Ben Franklin was the first political cartoon to be published in a newspaper. The segmented snake represented the need for unity among original colonies. -
Sign Constitution
After becoming president of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania and signing the constitution, Ben wrote the anti-slavery treatise in 1789, one of his last public acts. -
Death
Died at 84 years old and 20,000 people attended his funeral. -
No more PA Gazette
The Pennsylvania Gazette ceased publication 10 years after Ben Franklin died -
Bibliography
“Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/. “The Pennsylvania Gazette 1728-1800.” Accessible Archives,
Accessible Archives Inc., www.accessible-archives.com/collections/the-pennsylvania-gazette/. “The Printer as Writer.” The Library Company, www.librarycompany.org/BFWriter/writer.htm.
