Facts About Ben Franklin
Born January 17, 1706, Boston, Massachusetts
Attended Boston Latin School from 1714 to 1716
Began working life as a printer apprenticed to his brother from 1718 to 1723
Moved o Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1724
Bought the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729
Began publishing Poor Richard's Almanac in 1733
Helped launch the American Philosophical Society in 1743
Conducted experiments and verified the nature of electricity during the 1750s
Credited with inventing the Franklin Stove, bifocal glasses and the lightning rod
Was instrumental in establishing a library, hospital, fire company and an insurance company in the City of Philadelphia
Moved to London and represented the interests of Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts before Parliament from 1757 to 1775
Elected to the Second Continental Congress and worked on a committee of five that helped to draft the Declaration of Independence
Signed Declaration of Independence in 1776
Served as the American Ambassador to France during the American Revolution and during the Confederation Era
Signed the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolution, in 1783
Served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed the U.S. Constitution
Died April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Buried at Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania