ADVICE FROM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would not be forgotten,

The minute you're dead and rotten,

Write things worth the reading

Or do things worth the writing.

 

Benjamin Franklin

Poor Richard's Almanack

 

 

Poor Richard's Almanack

But Franklin thrived on work. In 1733 he started publishing Poor Richard's Almanack. Almanacs of the era were printed annually, and contained things like weather reports, recipes, predictions and homilies. Franklin published his almanac under the guise of a man named Richard Saunders, a poor man who needed money to take care of his carping wife. What distinguished Franklin's almanac were his witty aphorisms and lively writing. Many of the famous phrases associated with Franklin, such as, "A penny saved is a penny earned" come from Poor Richard.

Letters to the Editor

Franklin began apprenticed to his brother who was a printer. Because his brother would not allow him to write for his newspaper, Franklin wrote letters to the paper in the persona of a middle-aged woman named "Silence Dogood." By 1730, Franklin created "The Pennsylvania Gazette" where he was able to publish articles and essays on his thoughts. From 1732 to 1757, Franklin created a yearly almanac called "Poor Richard's Almanack."

Franklin was a prolific inventor. Many of his creations are still in use today. His inventions included:

 

The Franklin stove

Bifocals

A flexible catheter

The lightning rod

 

 

Inventor and Scientist

 

Franklin came up with an experiment to prove that electricity and lightning were the same thing. He conducted the experiment by flying a kite in a lightning storm on June 15, 1752. From his experiments he devised the lightning rod. He also came up with important concepts in meteorology and refrigeration.

 

Ambassador

 

Franklin was sent to Great Britain by Pennsylvania in 1757. He spent six years trying to get the British to provide Pennsylvania with more self rule. He was well-respected abroad but could not get the king or parliament to budge.

After the beginning of the American Revolution, Franklin went to France in 1776 to gain French aid against Great Britain. His success helped turn the tide of the war. He stayed in France as America's first diplomat there. He represented America at the treaty negotiations that ended the Revolutionary War which resulted