Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1705 on the 6^th of January and lived up to the hearty old age of 85, dying on the 17^th of April in 1790. Not only was he one of the greatest inventors that the world had ever seen, he was also an astute statesman, and has widely been regarded as the ‘First American’. A polymath that was known throughout the globe, Benjamin Franklin also held a number of other professions, or hobbies, per se. Here are a few:

• Author
• Printer
• Politician
• Political Theorist
• Scientist
• Inventor
• Diplomat
• Civic Activist
• Postmaster

He made notable achievements in all of these fields. As a scientist, Benjamin Franklin made a number of contributions and was one of the major proponents of the American Enlightenment as well as the history of physics, mainly for the discoveries and theories that he made in relation to electricity. In his capacity as an inventor, Benjamin Franklin is attributed for the invention of the lightning rod, the bifocal glasses as well as the Franklin stove, among numerous other inventions. Benjamin Franklin also facilitated a number of different civic organizations as a civic activist, such as the fire department of Philadelphia and a university.

The reason why Benjamin Franklin is regarded by many as the ‘First American’ is because of the fact that he was one of the most vocal supporters for the unitization of the colonies, and his indefatigable campaigning finally bore fruit later on. After the American Revolutionary War was won, Benjamin Franklin was also the first United States Ambassador to France. Hailing from a working class family, Benjamin Franklin was very proud of his roods, and he became a successful editor and printer of a newspaper in Philadelphia, which was the leading city of the colonies at the time. Along with a couple of partners, he also set up the Pennsylvania Chronicle, a newspaper that became a leading voice of the growing resentment amongst the colonies of the British as well as the criticisms that were aimed at the British Empire.

By his publications, The Pennsylvania Gazette and the Poor Richard’s Almanack, Benjamin Franklin acquired decent wealth. He was also the first President of the American Philosophical Society. He spent a great deal of his life as the British postmaster to the colonies, which also resulted in his activity in community affairs, state and colonial politics, as well as international and national affairs. He also served as the governor Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788. To this day, you can see Benjamin Franklin being honored; his face is on the $100 bill, his name is used as the names of many different towns and educational institutions, while there are numerous companies that have been formed on his name as well. Benjamin Franklin was described as a true “American hero” for his efforts to create this country, and then because of his hard work and devotion to the cause of education. Benjamin Franklin was a great man, and is remembered rightly so.