January 17, 1706

Boston, Massachusetts

April 17, 1790

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Scientist, inventor, author, philosopher, and one of the founding fathers of the United States

Portrait: Benjamin Franklin. Reproduced by permission of the Library of Congress.

"God helps them that help themselves."

From Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack.

Throughout his lifetime Benjamin Franklin held many positions, including printer, writer, civic leader, inventor, politician, and ambassador. During the colonial period, he gained international recognition for his experiments and writings on electricity. In fact, he was the most famous scientist of his time. Before Franklin, electricity was considered a bizarre and misunderstood force. His numerous investigations established the study of electricity as a valid scientific pursuit. A native Bostonian, Franklin moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of seventeen. He started his own printing business and retired a rich man in 1748. Pursuing a wide range of scientific interests, his annual Poor Richard's Almanack...