FAYE MOSS:
Hello, everyone! Welcome to another episode of Superstars in History, the talk show featuring exclusive interviews with famous people from the past. Superstars in History
I'm your host, Faye Moss, and today's guest was a writer, publisher, scientist, and inventor.
But he might be best known for his role as one of the founding fathers of America.
Please give a warm welcome to a man with an electrifying past—Benjamin Franklin!
Why, thank you, Faye. It's a pleasure indeed to be here. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
FAYE MOSS:
It's so much fun to finally meet you, Ben.
I see you've brought along a kite!
I bet I know the story behind that . . . actually, you accomplished so many things, you probably have lots of stories.
I'm not sure where to begin! Why don't we start with your early years?
What can you tell us about your childhood?
Well, I was born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, the fifteenth child in a family with 17 children. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
FAYE MOSS:
That's a big family!
Indeed! I attended school for two years, but when I was about ten, my father had me work in his candle and soap shop. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
Unfortunately, I disliked the work—I wanted to be a sailor.
Yet Father was worried I'd get lost at sea, so eventually he made me an apprentice in the printshop owned by my brother James.
It wasn't my first choice for work, but Father knew I loved to read, and this allowed me to be around books all the time.
FAYE MOSS:
You became a prolific writer later on, but I'm wondering with only two years at school, how did you become such a good writer? Did your father teach you?
No, I practiced on my own. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
You see, Faye, I'd realized that writing well is a valuable skill, and I was determined to acquire it.
So I taught myself how to write clearly by reading and memorizing many well-written articles, and then I wrote my own versions of them.
I found the opportunity to start publishing my work when James began printing a newspaper.
Without his knowledge, I submitted letters to the newspaper pretending to be a widow named Silence Dogood.
Mrs. Dogood had strong opinions on just about everything.
To my delight, the letters were very popular—Mrs. Dogood even received marriage proposals!
Did your brother ever find out that you were Mrs. Dogood? FAYE MOSS:
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
He did, and it did not quite please him, but this was but one of many disputes we had.
In 1723, after a particularly heated argument with James, I left Boston and wound up in Philadelphia, where I got a job as a printer.
I continued writing, of course, publishing an almanac, Poor Richard's Almanack, for 25 years. Poor Richard's Almanack
At the time almanacs were very important to people because they included the yearly calendar and information about the weather.
In mine I also published poems and witty articles.
Oh, and I loved to dispense advice like, "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
That's good advice! It sounds like you were very busy with literary activities. FAYE MOSS:
Yet you're also known for many significant contributions to science. When did you turn to science?
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
By 1748 I had become wealthy enough to stop working at the printshop and explore other interests.
And one of those interests was science.
For example, I was curious about the strong Atlantic Ocean current that moves along the east coast, which—
FAYE MOSS:
Oh! That's called the Gulf Stream, right?
Why, yes. I was the first to map it for sailors. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
I was also interested in medicine, so I helped to establish the first hospital in Philadelphia, and wrote about ideas related to health.
For instance, I realized that people caught colds from close contact with one another, not from damp air or clothing as others believed at the time.
Yet perhaps my most important contribution to science was what I learned from flying a kite during a thunderstorm.
I wanted to test the idea that lightning was a form of electricity.
So in June 1752, I tied a metal key to the string of a kite with a metal rod on top, and headed out into a storm.
Sure enough, I felt a spark—electricity traveled from the rod to the key!
Whoa, Ben, that sounds really dangerous! FAYE MOSS:
Yes, it was a very foolish thing to do, but it helped me invent my lightning rod. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
I invented a great many things, you know, like bifocal glasses and the Franklin stove, which was an improvement upon a normal fireplace. I also invented—
I don't think we can hear about all your inventions, Ben—there are too many! FAYE MOSS:
I'm sure your inventions made you even richer.
Actually, Faye, I never got a patent for any of my inventions—I was glad to have the opportunity to freely give them to the public. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
I even helped to create many fine public institutions such as the first public fire department and lending library.
FAYE MOSS:
That's so generous of you, Ben! And speaking of the public . . . you had quite a public service career, didn't you?
Yes, that's true. I was very active in Pennsylvania politics. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
I was even sent to England to speak on behalf of the American colonies.
In 1776, I joined Thomas Jefferson and several others to draft the Declaration of Independence.
This document stated that America was free from British rule and would now be called the United States.
Later that year I went to France to serve as an ambassador.
What about the Constitution? Were you involved in that as well? FAYE MOSS:
I signed that document too, much later though, in 1787. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
I was invited to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia where representatives from the states discussed laws that would bind the country together.
Alas, by then I was 81, an old man who had to be carried into the meeting on a chair.
But I was still able to contribute ideas to the founding of the new democracy.
You made so many contributions, Ben, from science to publishing to politics and public institutions. FAYE MOSS:
Thank you for all of that—and for being on the show today.
You've been a very kind host, Faye. Farewell! BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:
FAYE MOSS:
Benjamin Franklin died in 1790 at the age of 84.
Through his writing, inventions, scientific experiments, and public service, Ben played an enormous role in shaping America's history, technology, and culture.
I hope you enjoyed my interview with Benjamin Franklin.
I'll be back soon with another fascinating guest from the past.
You've been watching Faye Moss on Superstars in History! Superstars in History