Full Answer
Where can I find the complete works of Benjamin Franklin?
The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, 39 vols. to date (1959–2008), definitive edition, through 1783. This massive collection of BF's writings, and letters to him, is available in large academic libraries.
What did Benjamin Franklin do when he ran away?
At age 17, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, seeking a new start in a new city. When he first arrived, he worked in several printer shops around town, but he was not satisfied by the immediate prospects.
What is the best book on Benjamin Franklin's domesticity?
'Domesticity: The Human Side of Benjamin Franklin', Magazine of History, XXI (2006). Waldstreicher, David. Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution. Hill and Wang, 2004. 315 pp.
What was Frank Franklin's retirement like?
Franklin’s retirement (memorialized in his best-selling autobiography) helped establish the modern concept of a multi-career life and ranks among his great inventions. The transaction gave 50 percent ownership of his firm to Hall.
Who owns Ben Franklin Hawaii?
Current third generation owners Wayne and Guy Kamitaki, Paul Mizoguchi and Lynn Ushijima now operate six Ben Franklin Crafts stores and 25 Ace Hardware stores spanning four states. For more information about the stores or events, go to www.hmstores.com, www.benfranklinhawaii.com and www.acehardwarehawaii.com.
What year did Ben Franklin go out of business?
1996In the early 1990s, it began opening its own stores. Those stores were not successful, and their financial problems ultimately interfered with the chain's ability to deliver goods to its franchisees, 860 locally owned stores in 47 states. The company went bankrupt and closed these stores in 1996–1997.
Does Ben Franklin have gift cards?
Buy Digital Gift Cards This is a digital gift card and can only be used on Ben Franklin's Deli's website for online orders. After you purchase a gift card, the recipient will receive an email with the gift card details.
Are there still Ben Franklin stores in the United States?
About 750 Ben Franklin stores remain throughout the country, mostly in the Midwest, Ptacek said. During the franchise's glory days in the early 1970s, there were about 2,800 stores nationwide.
Are there any Ben Franklin's left?
Founded in 1877 as Butler Brothers, and in 1927 as Ben Franklin, they declared bankruptcy in the mid-'90s. But there are still Ben Franklin stores! Promotions Unlimited stepped in and purchased the chain name in 1997 and has continued operating as a distributor servicing individual franchisees.
How many slaves did Ben Franklin have?
Franklin owned at leas two slaves during his life, both of whom worked as household servants, but in his old age he came to view slavery as a vile institution that ran counter to the principles of the American Revolution.
Why was Benjamin Franklin put on the $100 bill?
A Founding Father Franklin was one of the – if not the – most important founding father in our nation. His work in forging the Declaration of Independence is considered pivotal in the forming of the nation, so it is well-fitting that his likeness be on this important bill.
How old was Ben Franklin when retired?
When he retired from the printing business at the age of 42, Benjamin Franklin set his sights on becoming what he called a “Man of Leisure.” To modern ears, that title might suggest Franklin aimed to spend his autumn years sleeping in or stopping by the tavern, but to colonial contemporaries, it would have intimated ...
Why did Ben Franklin not run for president?
Old age and death prevented Benjamin Franklin from ever running for President. When the Constitution was written in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was... See full answer below.
What was Franklin's retirement?
Franklin’s retirement marked a move from intense local focus to broader national and even international ambition (he would spend over half the remainder of his life in London and Paris). In the six biographies written in the last century, the second half of his life averages almost three-quarters of the total pages (the retirement itself, a spare two paragraphs). According to a recent interpretation by historian Gordon S. Wood, Ph.D. ’64, Franklin shifted in and out of multiple roles after the apron had been folded away: scientist, diplomat, writer, tinkerer, statesman. In this theory, Franklin’s retirement from business marks the first essential metamorphosis. The protean, personae-hopping Franklin starts at the exact moment he hired Feke.
What is the caption on Benjamin Franklin's painting?
The painting has a mundane, all business caption: “Benjamin Franklin, 1748.” I’d add “ On the Loose. ”
What is Ben Franklin's face like?
His face, under a formal wig, is pale and doughy, entirely different from the ruddy, wise, $100-bill Franklin. There is no trace of humility or kindness or impish humor. A viewer would likely walk by this painting in a museum corridor and never register that it was Ben Franklin.
Where did Benjamin Franklin publish his newspaper?
Franklin became a successful newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia, the leading city in the colonies, publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette at the age of 23. He became wealthy publishing this and Poor Richard's Almanack, which he authored under the pseudonym "Richard Saunders".
What did Benjamin Franklin do after Denham died?
Upon Denham's death, Franklin returned to his former trade. In 1728, Franklin had set up a printing house in partnership with Hugh Meredith; the following year he became the publisher of a newspaper called The Pennsylvania Gazette. The Gazette gave Franklin a forum for agitation about a variety of local reforms and initiatives through printed essays and observations. Over time, his commentary, and his adroit cultivation of a positive image as an industrious and intellectual young man, earned him a great deal of social respect. But even after Franklin had achieved fame as a scientist and statesman, he habitually signed his letters with the unpretentious 'B. Franklin, Printer.'
How did Benjamin Franklin prove lightning is electricity?
Franklin published a proposal for an experiment to prove that lightning is electricity by flying a kite in a storm that appeared capable of becoming a lightning storm. On May 10, 1752, Thomas-François Dalibard of France conducted Franklin's experiment using a 40-foot-tall (12 m) iron rod instead of a kite, and he extracted electrical sparks from a cloud. On June 15, 1752, Franklin may possibly have conducted his well-known kite experiment in Philadelphia, successfully extracting sparks from a cloud. Franklin described the experiment in the Pennsylvania Gazette on October 19, 1752, without mentioning that he himself had performed it. This account was read to the Royal Society on December 21 and printed as such in the Philosophical Transactions. Joseph Priestley published an account with additional details in his 1767 History and Present Status of Electricity. Franklin was careful to stand on an insulator, keeping dry under a roof to avoid the danger of electric shock. Others, such as Prof. Georg Wilhelm Richmann in Russia, were indeed electrocuted in performing lightning experiments during the months immediately following Franklin's experiment.
How old was William Franklin when he was born?
See also: William Franklin. William Franklin. In 1730, 24-year-old Franklin publicly acknowledged the existence of his son William, who was deemed "illegitimate," as he was born out of wedlock, and raised him in his household. William was born February 22, 1730, and his mother's identity is still unknown.
Why did Benjamin Franklin become vegetarian?
His reasons for vegetarianism were based on health, ethics, and economy:
How many children did Josiah Franklin have?
Following her death, Josiah was married to Abiah Folger on July 9, 1689, in the Old South Meeting House by Reverend Samuel Willard, and would eventually have ten children with her. Benjamin, their eighth child, was Josiah Franklin's fifteenth child overall, and his tenth and final son.
What was Franklin's ethos?
Franklin was foundational in defining the American ethos as a marriage of the practical values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment.
How much money did Benjamin Franklin give to Boston?
Upon his death, Benjamin Franklin bequeathed $2,000 each to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia to be invested in community philanthropic initiatives 200 years later.
What foundations did Ben Franklin give to?
In 1990, the Pennsylvania Legislature used some of the then-$2 million total to create the Ben Franklin Funds and have allocated monetary gifts to several foundations and institutions, including the Washington County Community Foundation, the Lehigh Community Foundation, the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, and the Chester County Community Foundation, among others.
How much was the Boston Trust worth in 1990?
According to a now-archived article published by The New York Times at the time of the 1990 disbursement, the $2,000 fund in the Boston trust, meanwhile, was worth about $4.5 million.
