1776

Benjamin Franklin

was born 1/17/1706

1732

Benjamin was, at first, an apprentice for his brother James at a printing store. His brother, James offended people and went to jail. After this, Benjamin wrote under pseudonyms.

One pseudonym he used was Richard Saunders. With this pseudonym he wrote Poor Richard's Almanac.

An almanac was how people learned what would happen that year, weather, moon phases, etc.

It sold 10,000 copies a year!

1751

1762

1776

1783

1784

1787

Benjamin Franklin died

4/17/1790

Benjamin Franklin's Life

Signed the Treaty of Paris

The Premiere of the Glass Armonica

Signed the United States Constitution

Wrote An Almanac

In 1761 Benjamin Franklin invented the Glass Armonica. It was an instrument designed after he went to Europe and saw someone playing music on wine glasses. The Armonica was made out of glass. In 1762 Marianne Davies premiered the instrument. It became popular, because Mozart and Beethoven used the instrument and wrote music for it. Eventually, the Armonica was abandoned because they couldn't amplify it and it couldn't be heard in large concert halls.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the American Commissioners in France who agreed on the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain. This ended the Revolutionary war.

The final treaty was signed on September 3, 1783.

The Constitution was signed by 39 of the 55 delegates on September 17, 1787. Benjamin Franklin signed the constitution. He was the only person to sign all three documents that established the United States. (Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Paris, and The United States Constitution.

1968

1706

Benjamin Franklin was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame

Invention of Bifocals

Experiments and Observation of Electricity Published

Signed the Declaration of Independence

Benjamin Franklin was having problems seeing. He had to switch glasses to see close and to see distance. He invented bifocal glasses which are two different glasses combined in one lens. So the top half helps you see far and the bottom half is for reading. Now he didn't need to switch back and forth.

Benjamin Franklin was appointed on to the small committee of five who wrote the Declaration of Independence. He edited the document after Thomas Jefferson did most of the writing. He was one of 56 people who signed the declaration of Independence.

Back then, people thought electricity was only made for magic. Benjamin Franklin thought lightening and electricity were the same thing. So he conducted an experiment involving a key tied to a kite. He realized it worked. He wrote down his observations in letters and sent it to other scientists in London. They thought he was right and they published the letters in a book named, Experiments and Observation of Electricity.

Later, he invented the Lightening Rod, which was at the highest point of the house. Lightening would hit the metal rod and the rod would carry the electricity down to the ground and no harm would be done to the house.

By Jack Rogers