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Benjamin's birth
He was born in Massachusetts Bay Colony, which is now called Boston. His father was Josiah Franklin, an English-born soap and candle maker, he had seven children with first wife, Anne Child, and 10 more with second wife, Abiah Folger. Ben was his 15th child and youngest son. http://www.biography.com/people/benjamin-franklin-9301234
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The Pennsylvania Gazette
The Pennsylvania Gazette gave readers a first-hand view on the American Revolution, the colonial American, the New Repeublic, and the social, cultural, and political aspects of each of those time periods. This paper was printed in many places across the World including Canada, North America, and South America. http://www.accessible-archives.com/collections/the-pennsylvania-gazette/
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Poor Richard's Almanack
Almanac's were popular at this time.They contained things like weather reports, recipes, predictions and homilies. Franklin created his almanack for a man named Richard Saunder's. Richard was a poor man who needed money to take care of his wife. Franklin's almanac had witty aphorisms and lively writing. A famous quote from the almanac is, "A penny saved is a penny earnerd." http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/ -
Franklin Invented the Lightning Rod
Franklin wanted to find a way to protect people's homes from lightning. He first thoughtful that lightning could be preventable by using an elevated iron rod connected to earth to empty static from a cloud. He later observed that a sharp iron needle could conduct electricity away from a charged metal surface. https://www.fi.edu/history-lightning-rod -
Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence
Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress to a committee charged with drafting a formal document to justify the colonies' decision of severing political ties with Britain. After several drafts, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The actual document was not signed until August, when Benjamin Franklin signed his name along with the fifty-five other people. http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_citizen_founding.html -
Benjamin heads to France
Benjamin was sent to secure and negotiate an allegiance and treaty with France. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/benjamin-franklin-sets-sail-for-france -
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Process of signing the Treaty of Allegiance
France had been helping the Patriot cause since the start of the American Revolution, but said they couldn't agree to an allegiance to the U.S. since they had not been guaranteed an American victory over the British. Continuing to push for an allegiance, Franklin became friends with many officials. In October of 1777 America finally beat the British at the Battle or Saratoga, France then agreed to an allegiance.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/benjamin-franklin-sets-sail-for-france -
The Treaty of Paris
Franklin was one of the 5 people elected to conduct the Treaty of Paris. This treaty was between the United States and Great Britain. After it was signed it helped end the Revolutionary War and recognize America's independence. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/treaty-of-paris -
Invention of Bifocals
Benjamin was reaching an old age and found himself becoming near and far sighted. When he went outdoors he needed glasses for seeing long distance, and when looking at things up close he would have to switch out his glasses. He became very tired of this so he simply cut the lenses in half and put them together in one frame.
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Franklin Inveted the Long Arm
Franklin was a big fan of books, he even became a vegetarian so he could save money for books. He had many books and wanted a way to reach the ones on the top shelf without a step ladder, so he invented the long arm. The long arm or reaching device was simply just a peice of wood wiht "fingers" on the end. By pulling on a cable at the end it would bring the fingers on the end together to grip things. http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/10-ben-franklin-inventions7.htm -
Benjamin's Death
Benjamin was a founding father, an American statesman, a printer, a writer, and a scientist. He died at the age of 84 and he received the biggest funeral the city of Philadelphia had ever seen. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/benjamin-franklin-dies
