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Benjamin franklin inventions

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Benjamin Franklin

American polymath and statesman (1706–1790)

"Ben Franklin" redirects here. For other uses, see Benjamin Franklin (disambiguation).

Benjamin Franklin

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Portrait by Joseph Duplessis, 1785

In office
October 18, 1785 – November 5, 1788
Vice President
Preceded byJohn Dickinson
Succeeded byThomas Mifflin
In office
September 28, 1782 – April 3, 1783
Appointed byCongress of the Confederation
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byJonathan Russell
In office
March 23, 1779 – May 17, 1785
Appointed byContinental Congress
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byThomas Jefferson
In office
July 26, 1775 – November 7, 1776
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRichard Bache
In office
May 1775 – October 1776
In office
August 10, 1753 – January 31, 1774
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byVacant
In office
May 1764 – October 1764
Preceded byIsaac N
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Benjamin Franklin’s Early Years

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in colonial Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 children. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Massachusetts, Josiah’s second wife. Franklin was the eighth of Abiah and Josiah’s 10 offspring.

Did you know? Benjamin Franklin is the only Founding Father to have signed all four of the key documents establishing the U.S.: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Great Britain (1783) and the U.S. Constitution (1787).

Franklin’s formal education was limited and ended when he was 10; however, he was an avid reader and taught himself to become a skilled writer. In 1718, at age 12, he was apprenticed to his older brother James, a Boston printer. By age 16, Franklin was contributing essays (under the pseudonym Silence Dogood) to a newspaper published by his brother. At age 17, Franklin ran away from hi

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About Benjamin Franklin

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

Benjamin Franklin was born in January of 1706 to a modest family in Boston, Massachusetts. Although he is most often celebrated as a Founding Father of the United States, Franklin’s accomplishments are diverse, including civic, scientific, and cultural projects which altered the course of American history.  

With a limited formal education, Franklin was effectively self-taught, and spent a significant portion of his early years in the newspaper business. He began by writing for his brother’s newspaper under the assumed name Silence Dogood. When he tired of reporting to his brother, he left Boston, visiting London in between his stays in Philadelphia. There, he started his own printing shop before gaining ownership of the Pennsylvania Gazette.

As Franklin grew older, he developed into a community leader. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of notable Philadelphia institutions, including a library and the school that would later become the University of Pennsylvania. Upon re

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