The 10th son of a candle maker became one of the most intriguing men of the 18th century, influencing science and invention, education, political thought and journalism, all while playing a pivotal role in the struggle for U.S. independence from Great Britain.
Benjamin Franklin was the only American who was intimately involved with the four most important documents pertaining to the establishment of the United States: the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France, the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended hostilities with Britain, and the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1789.
He also gained fame and recognition as a scientist. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London, received the society’s Copley Medal (the 18th-century equivalent of a Nobel Prize) and was elected to France’s Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris, which allowed only eight non-French members at a time.
Source: IIP Digital
