January 14, 2022
“He that would live in peace & at ease, Must not speak all he knows or judge all he sees.”
Benjamin Franklin was born on this day in 1706. Franklin’s contributions to America are extensive & enduring. He is the only person that signed all four founding documents of the United States. Beyond politics, he was a prolific writer and avid inventor; among other things, he developed the lightning rod & swim fins, and is largely attributed with founding the first public library.
Franklin attended school for just two years before dropping out to work in his father’s candle shop. All other education he received came from a lifetime of reading on his own and engaging in conversation with others.
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (Library of Congress)
For an in-depth view on the life of Benjamin Franklin: The Franklin Institute
by Jenna Lee,
