Benjamin Franklin

‘Either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.’ – Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is known as one of America’s founding fathers, and is said to be a ‘polymath’ – a person who has significant knowledge and ability in a wide variety of fields, and during Franklin’s lifetime, he was a politician, author, scientist, printer, postmaster, inventor, and more.
Many towns, companies, warships and the like have been named after Benjamin Franklin, and he has been featured on numerous postage stamps, and is featured on America’s $100 note.
Benjamin Franklin was born on 17 January, 1706, in Boston, in the United States’ Massachusetts, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 84 years of age, on 17 April, 1790, from pleurisy.
Benjamin Franklin was only schooled for two years, due to being withdrawn because of his parents lack of money, and was then mostly self-educated by reading.
Benjamin Franklin proposed to Deborah Read in 1723, when they were both young, however her mother did not grant permission, so Deborah later married John Rogers who abandoned her, and as she was not able to divorce her first husband, she entered a common-law marriage with Franklin on 1 September, 1730.

Benjamin Franklin wrote many texts under pen names, some of which included Mrs Silence Dogood, Richard Saunders, Harry Meanwell, Timothy Turnstone and Alice Addertongue.
Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read had a son who died of smallpox at age 4, and later a daughter named Sarah, and Franklin also fathered a son before his marriage to Read, although it is not known who the mother was.
Benjamin Franklin played the violin, harp and guitar; composed music; was a keen player of chess; and invented a lightning rod, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, and a glass armonica, among others; and is also known for his kite and lightning experiments.
Benjamin Franklin was the President of Pennsylvania in 1785 to 1788, and the US Minister to France and Sweden, from 1778 to 1785 and 1782 to 1783, respectively.
Two United States cities, Boston and Philadelphia, were beneficiaries of £1000 that Benjamin Franklin left them in his will, which was to be held in trust for 200 years, and during that time the money had built up to $5 million in the Boston trust, and $2 million in the Philadelphia one.