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January 17th, 2023, is Benjamin Franklin Day!


Have you ever wanted to know more about Benjamin Franklin? Well, he's a pretty interesting guy because he did a lot of stuff! If you've ever heard sayings such as "honesty is the best policy" or "a penny saved is a penny earned," you can thank Benjamin Franklin. He published many other wise sayings in Poor Richard's Almanac.

But being a writer was just one of the many hats that Franklin wore. Check out some of the other things that he accomplished and have fun celebrating this amazing founding father!



Did you know?

  • He was the very first postmaster general.

  • He was a newspaper editor and printer. He published the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard's Almanac.

  • He loved to play chess.

  • He could play the guitar, harp, and the violin.

  • He invented a new and improved glass harmonica.

  • He composed music.

  • He was a vegetarian.

  • He liked to use pseudonyms to publish some of his letters that expressed his opinions. One of those was Silence Dogood.

  • The American Revolution secured needed aid from France because of Franklin's role as the first U.S. French Ambassador.

  • He taught himself to speak Italian, French, and German.

  • He invented several things including the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, the odometer, and bifocal glasses.

  • He created the first lending library.

  • He started the first volunteer fire department.

  • He helped write the Declaration of Independence.

  • He signed the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the Treaty of Alliance. with France, and the U.S. Constitution.

  • He was an advocate for free speech.



Ways to Celebrate Benjamin Franklin Day

  • Make your own almanac: what are your favorite words to live by, put in your favorite sayings and illustrations.

  • Play chess, or learn how to.

  • Create a pseudonym for yourself, and see who can come up with the most funny or creative.

  • Take a trip to the library, and check out a book about Benjamin Franklin while you're there.

  • Use alphabet stamps and do some printing. If you don't have any, you can make some with styrofoam or potatoes.

  • Make a kite and/or fly one.

  • Try to write with a quill pen. If you don't have one, use a feather (cut the end at a slant) and some grape juice.

  • Plan a trip to visit your fire station.

  • Do some experiments with static electricity. January 9th, 2024, is Static Electricity Day! (towersoflight.net)

  • Read books about Benjamin Franklin!

















 
 
 

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