Benjamin Franklin was not one to waste time. Despite only having two years of formal education, his curious mind led him to interesting discoveries. He owned a printing press and published the Pennsylvania Gazette (1728-1800), which was an important and influential newspaper during the Revolution. He was also the author of Poor Richard's Almanack from 1732 to 1758. Franklin's inventions included the lightning rod, bifocal glasses, an early prototype of swim fins, the Franklin stove, and the glass armonica musical instrument. And of course, there were the experiments with electricity!

He created many services to benefit his community of Philadelphia, the public library, the police and fire departments, and a school that would eventually become the University of Pennsylvania. He served as Philadelphia's first postmaster, and was the first Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service. Fun fact: the highest award you can receive at USPS is The Benjamin Franklin Award!

As a political and diplomat, Franklin helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. He attended the Constitutional Convention and also advocated for the ratification of the Constitution, which happen two years before his death. Franklin lived abroad for much of the Revolutionary War, where he negotiated with European leaders on behalf of the United States, and secured funding for the American cause. Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay negotiated the Treaty of Paris, which is the document signed by Great Britain that ended the Revolutionary War, and officially made the United States of America an independent nation in 1783.

There are two National Parks dedicated to Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia: the Benjamin Franklin Museum and the Benjamin Franklin Memorial. When Franklin died, he left a sum of money to Boston and to Philadelphia, with very specific directions on how to spend and save it for future use. One of the rules was that a large portion had to be saved for 100 years, and a second portion saved for 200 years. By 1990, Boston had $4.5 million dollars saved, and Philadelphia had $2 million dollars saved. Boston started the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in 1908 with the first round of money Franklin allowed them to spend, and then put the millions back into the institute in 1990. Philadelphia used the money toward its Franklin Institute and its mission of scientific exploration.

You can learn more about Benjamin Franklin by watching the BrainPop on him, and by reading the Who Was Benjamin Franklin? book.

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