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Birth Date
Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17th. His father was Josiah Franklin. His mother was Abiah Folger. -
First Print Shop
Franklin opened his first printing shop with Hugh Meredith. Meredith's father gave them a loan to do this. Meredith's father did this because he respected Franklin. -
Pennsylvania Gazette
Franklin bought the Pennsylvania Gazette from Samuel Keimer. Keimer was a former employer of Franklin. The Pennsylvania Gazette went on to become one of the most important newspapers in America. -
Electricity
Franklin wanted to prove that lightning is electrical. To do this, he flied a kite in a thunderstorm. Contrary to popular belief, he did not discover electricity during this experiment. -
"Join, or Die"
Franklin printed his famous cartoon "Join, or Die". This represented the American colonies being split up, and that they need to work together to defeat the British. This cartoon was printed in the Pennsylvania Gazette. -
Glass Armonica
Franklin invented the glass armonica. Famous composers used it, such as Mozart, and Beethoven. Franklin got this idea at a concert where someone "performed on a set of water tuned wineglasses". Franklin wanted to invent "a more convenient arrangement". -
Help During the Revolutionary War
Became part of the committee of five who helped draft the Declaration of Independence. This document declared their freedom from British rule. Franklin also went to France to get their help during the war. -
Treaty of Alliance with France
With the help of Franklin, France became an ally of America during the Revolutionary War. France provided soldiers, supplies, and money. This was very important to America winning the war. -
Treaty of Paris
Franklin negotiated and drafted the Treaty of Paris. This is the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War. He signed the treaty, along with John Adams, and John Jay. -
Daylight Savings Time
Wrote "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light". This was the idea of daylight savings time. This was important because it is still used to this day. -
Bifocal Glasses
Franklin needed glasses for most of his life. When he became older, he needed reading glasses to see things up close. He didn't want to switch glasses when he wanted to see something, so he cut the two different lenses in half and put them in the frame together. This allowed him to see things close to him, and things farther away from him. -
Death Date
Franklin died at age 84 on April 17th. His death was caused by pleurisy. He is buried in Christ Church burial ground in Philadelphia.
