Simple facts about benjamin franklin
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Fun Facts About Benjamin Franklin
A writer, civic leader, inventor, diplomat and top political thinker of his time, Benjamin Franklin was one of America’s founding fathers. And although most Americans know about his daredevil electrical experiment where he attached a metal key to a kite and flew it in a thunderstorm, there are many other reasons that Benjamin Franklin is known as one of the country’s most influential figures. Here are some fun facts about the Benjamin franklin facts that helped shape our nation’s history.
The Only President Who Was Never President
A common mistake made by many is the assumption that Benjamin Franklin was President of the United States. The fact is, unlike his contemporaries George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Franklin never held the office of the presidency. He was the governor of Pennsylvania, the first United States ambassador to France and Sweden and the first ever United States Postmaster General.
Check Mate
Among his many o
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Advice from the Founding Fathers: Benjamin Franklin
1. He only had two years of formal education.
The man considered the most brilliant American of his age rarely saw the inside of a classroom. Franklin spent just two years attending Boston Latin School and a private academy before joining the family candle and soap-making business.
By age 12, he was serving as an indentured apprentice at a printing shop owned by his brother, James. Young Benjamin made up for his lack of schooling by spending what little money he earned on books, often going without food to afford new volumes. He also honed his composition skills by reading essays and articles and then rewriting them from memory.
Despite being almost entirely self-taught, Franklin later helped found the school that became the University of Pennsylvania and received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, the College of William and Mary, the University of St. Andrews and Oxford.
2. Franklin became a hit writer as a t
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Benjamin Franklin
American polymath and statesman (1706–1790)
"Ben Franklin" redirects here. For other uses, see Benjamin Franklin (disambiguation).
Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE | |
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Portrait by namn Duplessis, 1785 | |
| In office October 18, 1785 – November 5, 1788 | |
| Vice President | |
| Preceded by | John Dickinson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Mifflin |
| In office September 28, 1782 – April 3, 1783 | |
| Appointed by | Congress of the Confederation |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Russell |
| In office March 23, 1779 – May 17, 1785 | |
| Appointed by | Continental Congress |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Jefferson |
| In office July 26, 1775 – November 7, 1776 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Richard Bache |
| In office May 1775 – October 1776 | |
| In office August 10, 1753 – January 31, 1774 | |
| Preceded by | Position establishe
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