Benjamin Franklin

Born in Boston in 1706, Benjamin Franklin began as an apprentice in his brother’s print shop and went on to become one of colonial America’s best-known writers and publishers. His Poor Richard’s Almanack made him famous for sharp humor and practical wisdom, and his Autobiography became one of the most enduring personal narratives in American literature.

Franklin’s curiosity reached far beyond the page. He carried out influential experiments with electricity, invented or improved devices including the lightning rod and the Franklin stove, and helped found important civic institutions in Philadelphia, among them a library, a hospital, and what became the University of Pennsylvania.

He was also a major public figure in the American Revolution. Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence and served as a diplomat in France, where he played a crucial role in winning support for the American cause. He died in Philadelphia in 1790, remembered both as a Founding Father and as a writer whose energy, humor, and practicality still stand out today.