I Am Such A Fan

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I have been a fan of Ben Franklin's for many years. He is such an interesting character in history and finds him so human. He was a writer, printer, publisher, slave owner, racist, diplomat, inventor, and scientist. All self-taught. He was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the 15th of 17 children. Can you believe it? He began inventing things at as early an age as about 8 when he invented some fins to help him in his swimming adventures. He went on the invent the Franklin stove and developed a foundry for casting type, the lightning rod, and many other things. He had a very interesting look at slavery. He was racist and if a slave he owned ran away he made no attempt to capture him. He was addicted to reading at a very early age and went on to teach himself to write, opened his own print shop, published the first book in America, and even started the Library Company where people could pay dues for access to a library of books. Started the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729 and Poor Richard's Almanac in 1733. He was a community organizer and started a fire company and a police force paid for by property taxes. He received honorary degrees from Yale, Harvard, and the College of William and Mary. He also received the Copley medal from the Royal Society in England for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science". He had a common-law marriage with Deborah from 1730. She died of a heart attack in 1774. He died in 1790 at the age of 84. "Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom." What a guy!