Facts about Benjamin Franklin

1. 12

   Franklin's 1742 invention of the Pennsylvania fireplace, later called the Franklin stove, reduced fuel consumption by 50 percent while heating homes more efficiently than traditional open hearths.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 26shareinventionheatingcolonial
2. 11

   Sixty-two-year-old Franklin served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the only founder present at both the Declaration of Independence signing and the Constitution's creation.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 14sharehistorygovernmentamerican
3. 10

   Appointed as Deputy Postmaster General of the colonies in 1753, Franklin restructured mail delivery routes and reduced postage rates, increasing colonial communication efficiency and profitability.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 14sharecolonialadministrationcommunication
4. 09

   Franklin's 1727 arrival in Philadelphia at age 17 with only a few coins led to his establishment as a master printer and eventual wealthy businessman within two decades.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 14sharebiographyeconomicscolonial
5. 08

   Franklin's 1751 electrical experiments with a Leyden jar demonstrated that lightning and electricity were identical phenomena, fundamentally advancing scientific understanding of atmospheric electricity.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 14shareelectricitysciencecolonial
6. 07

   Over 42 years, Benjamin Franklin published Poor Richard's Almanack annually from 1732 to 1758, earning substantial income and distributing practical wisdom and proverbs to thousands of colonial readers.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 14sharepublishingcolonialeconomics
7. 06

   Franklin's 1728 printing business in Philadelphia produced the Pennsylvania Gazette, which became one of the colonies' most influential newspapers with widespread circulation and readership.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 14sharejournalismcolonialbusiness
8. 05

   During his 1776 mission to France, Franklin secured a critical military alliance and 6 million livres in loans that enabled American victory in the Revolutionary War.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 14sharehistorydiplomacyamerican-revolution
9. 04

   The bifocal lens, invented by Franklin around 1784, combined distance and reading prescriptions in a single eyeglass by splitting the lens into two distinct optical sections.

   Benjamin FranklinMay 13shareopticsinventionmedicine
10. 03

    Benjamin Franklin established the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia in 1736, called the Union Fire Company, revolutionizing how colonial cities fought fires.

    Benjamin FranklinMay 13sharecivichistoryphiladelphia
11. 02

    At age 42, Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod in 1753, a copper conductor that protected buildings from electrical strikes by safely routing current into the ground.

    Benjamin FranklinMay 13shareinventionengineeringelectricity
12. 01

    In 1752, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm to prove lightning was electrical, nearly dying in the process.

    Benjamin FranklinMay 13shareelectricityscience1700s