Benjamin Franklin

1706 – 1790 · died at about 84^[1][2]

Science & Invention

Fun Facts About Benjamin Franklin

• Benjamin Franklin's first pen name was Silence Dogood, a middle-aged widow, which he adopted when he was denied the chance to write for the paper.^[1]
• Franklin killed turkeys with electric shocks for dinner and reported that birds killed this way eat uncommonly tender.^[1]
• Mozart and Beethoven both composed for the glass harmonica that Franklin improved.^{[1][3][4][5][6]}
• When the Duchess of Bourbon objected during a chess game that 'we do not take Kings so,' Franklin replied with a famous quip: We do in America.^[1]
• Franklin's real proverb was 'A penny saved is twopence dear'; the familiar 'A penny saved is a penny earned' is a misquotation.^[1]
• Besides his lightning experiments, Franklin used kite power to pull himself across a waterway.^[1]
• Benjamin Franklin was alive at the same time as Lord Byron — their lives overlapped for 2 years (1788–1790).^[1][2][7][8]
• Benjamin Franklin shares a birthday with Muhammad Ali: both were born on January 17.^{[1][2][9][10]}

Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general.^[1]

Contemporaries

Leonhard Euler

76 yr overlap

Frederick the Great

74 yr overlap

Voltaire

72 yr overlap

Carl Linnaeus

71 yr overlap

Adam Smith

67 yr overlap

Immanuel Kant

66 yr overlap

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

66 yr overlap

Catherine the Great

61 yr overlap

George Washington

58 yr overlap

Joseph Haydn

58 yr overlap

John Adams

55 yr overlap

James Watt

54 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Benjamin Franklin

When was Benjamin Franklin born?

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, and died on April 17, 1790.

How old was Benjamin Franklin at death?

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, and died on April 17, 1790, at age 84.

What was Benjamin Franklin known for?

Benjamin Franklin was known for: Founding Father, electricity experiments. Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general.

Who was alive at the same time as Benjamin Franklin?

Benjamin Franklin's closest contemporary was Leonhard Euler. Their lives overlapped for 76 years.