4th of July Patriot: Surprising Facts About Benjamin Franklin

The accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) were legendary even in his own lifetime. He was, after all, the man who had learned how to control lightning itself, a deadly force of nature, with his lightning rod. His resume continued to grow during and after the Revolution. He could ultimately claim to be a wealthy retired publisher, newspaperman, Royal postmaster, inventor of bifocals, inventor of the Franklin stove, foremost expert on the Gulf Stream, philanthropist, founder of a free public library, founder of a big city fire department, diplomat, head of the American Revolutionary fleet in Europe, head of the European espionage network, signer of the Declaration of Independence, signer of the U.S. Constitution, founder of what would become the University of Pennsylvania, inventor of a musical instrument called the glass armonica, leading anti-slavery advocate, and also that he had conducted studies on numerous topics including the aurora borealis, the common cold, the origin of northeast storms, earthquakes, mathematics, and natural history. Of his accomplishments, he preferred being known primarily as a printer, a profession he’d loved. And he had other worlds yet to conquer.

Some little-known facts about Ben Franklin:

If Franklin’s father had had his way, Benjamin Franklin would have been a preacher. But that took years of study so instead he apprenticed him at age 12 to brother James, a printer.

Although the name of Franklin’s illegitimate son, William (b. 1728), is well-known, the identity of Williams’ mother is unknown.

American cartoonists, especially editorial cartoonists, can trace their lineage to Benjamin Franklin famous drawing of a snake cut into sections, each labeled with a colony’s initials, and the caption: “Join or Die.” It was the first American cartoon.

Poor Richard in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” was actually Franklin’s alter-ego, a poor man named Richard Saunders. It was a then-common literary device that allowed Franklin freedom to express himself.

George Washington was born the same year as Franklin began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanac (1732).

At just 42, Franklin profitably sold his business to ensure a comfortable life of retirement which he could then devote to his personal interests.

Franklin held a lottery (1741) to raise 3,000 pounds to buy cannon to defend Philadelphia from marauding French and Dutch privateers during one of the small European wars preceding the Revolution. He also helped assemble a Philadelphia Militia when the local government dragged its feet.

In Franklin’s time, electricity was a mysterious killer held in superstitious awe. Churches rang their bells during thunderstorms to ward off the lightning, leading to the electrocution of many bell ringers. Discovering its nature, then inventing the lightning rod made Franklin world-famous.

Franklin and friends established the first lending library (1731) where people could pay a subscription fee to join, used to import more books. To appreciate this, realize that books were expensive and as a rule, entirely unavailable to the common man. It encouraged widespread literacy and started a trend.

Franklin used what’s considered a modern business means of getting wealthy as a printer…he franchised his operation in other cities.

We think of printing and publishing as two separate careers. But in Franklin’s time, printers increased business by publishing books, almanacs, and newspapers. Due to his skills at writing and marketing, Franklin was better at it than most.

Franklin’s achievement in France makes later diplomats look like bumblers. He convinced the French king to support a rebellion against the monarchy in general, albeit the British monarchy. Not only that, but financing and equipping the Americans, in fact, helped bankrupt the country and directly inspired the French Revolution.

John Paul Jones’ ship, Bonhomme Richard (“Poor Richard:), was named in honor of Franklin.

At the Constitutional Convention, the ailing Franklin was often transported to meetings in a sedan chair, borne by four convicts.

Bothered by people gathering outside his home to see if they could observe his experiments, Franklin once mischievously wired up his wrought-iron fence and sent a mild charge through it. It worked.

Franklin once tried to establish a written language based on phonetic English and even wrote some of his correspondence using it, but couldn’t get any converts and gave it up.

Although commonly addressed as “doctor,” Franklin only had a second grade education. The honorific followed his receiving an honorary doctorate.

Franklin visualized airborne attacks with 5,000 two-man balloons fielded in an attack against an enemy unable to gather quickly enough to repel them.