{"slug": "benjamin-franklin", "label": "Benjamin Franklin", "wikipedia": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin", "wikidata": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q34969", "qid": "Q34969", "description": "American polymath and statesman (1706–1790)", "entries": 26, "years": 20, "span": [1657, 1824], "span_label": ["1657 CE", "1824 CE"], "topics": [{"title": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "count": 5}, {"title": "Culture & Society", "count": 4}, {"title": "Science & Discovery", "count": 4}, {"title": "Religion & Belief", "count": 2}, {"title": "Conflict & Security", "count": 2}, {"title": "Health & Medicine", "count": 2}, {"title": "Technology & Infrastructure", "count": 2}, {"title": "Births", "count": 1}, {"title": "Economy & Finance", "count": 1}, {"title": "Disasters & Accidents", "count": 1}, {"title": "Exploration & Expansion", "count": 1}, {"title": "Deaths", "count": 1}], "related": [{"slug": "philadelphia", "label": "Philadelphia", "shared": 6}, {"slug": "france", "label": "France", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "american-revolution", "label": "American Revolution", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "kingdom-of-france", "label": "Kingdom of France", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "boston", "label": "Boston", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "kingdom-of-great-britain", "label": "Kingdom of Great Britain", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "united-states-declaration-of-independence", "label": "United States Declaration of Independence", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "pennsylvania", "label": "Pennsylvania", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "north-carolina", "label": "North Carolina", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "louis-xvi", "label": "Louis XVI", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "north-carolina-general-assembly", "label": "North Carolina General Assembly", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "province-of-pennsylvania", "label": "Province of Pennsylvania", "shared": 1}], "items": [{"year": 1657, "year_label": "1657 CE", "section": "Births", "date": "December 23", "text": "December 23 – Josiah Franklin, English-born American businessman, father of Benjamin Franklin (d. 1745)", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1366656979#Births", "title": "1657", "revid": 1366656979, "section": "Births"}}, {"year": 1722, "year_label": "1722 CE", "section": "Religion & Belief", "date": "April 2", "text": "April 2 – The first Silence Dogood letter, written by Benjamin Franklin, is printed.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365128046#April–June", "title": "1722", "revid": 1365128046, "section": "Events › April–June"}}, {"year": 1729, "year_label": "1729 CE", "section": "Economy & Finance", "date": "April 3", "text": "April 3 – Benjamin Franklin, aged 23, writes the essay \"A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature and Necessity of Paper Currency\" and later applies the economic principles to backing of paper money used in the United States.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1368871381#April–June", "title": "1729", "revid": 1368871381, "section": "Events › April–June"}}, {"year": 1730, "year_label": "1730 CE", "section": "Culture & Society", "date": "December 9", "text": "December 9 – The first documented notice in North America about freemasonry is published in The Pennsylvania Gazette in an article by its publisher, Benjamin Franklin.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1369560881#October–December", "title": "1730", "revid": 1369560881, "section": "Events › October–December"}}, {"year": 1732, "year_label": "1732 CE", "section": "Science & Discovery", "date": "December 19", "text": "December 19 – Benjamin Franklin, in the Pennsylvania Gazette, first advertises the publication of Poor Richard's Almanack, purportedly written by \"Richard Saunders\", a pen name used by Franklin. The book goes on sale on December 28. The annual publication will continue until 1758.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1369314491#October–December", "title": "1732", "revid": 1369314491, "section": "Events › October–December"}}, {"year": 1736, "year_label": "1736 CE", "section": "Disasters & Accidents", "date": "December 7", "text": "December 7 – Benjamin Franklin builds the first volunteer fire company in Philadelphia.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1360559528#October–December", "title": "1736", "revid": 1360559528, "section": "Events › October–December"}}, {"year": 1737, "year_label": "1737 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Benjamin Franklin creates the Philadelphia Police Force – the first city-paid force.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1367176390#Date_unknown", "title": "1737", "revid": 1367176390, "section": "Events › Date unknown"}}, {"year": 1743, "year_label": "1743 CE", "section": "Science & Discovery", "date": "October 21", "text": "October 21 – Benjamin Franklin's view of a lunar eclipse from Philadelphia is spoiled by a rainstorm; several days later, he learns that residents of Boston received the same storm hours after the eclipse, demonstrating that weather moves from west to east.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1360887949#October–December", "title": "1743", "revid": 1360887949, "section": "Events › October–December"}}, {"year": 1747, "year_label": "1747 CE", "section": "Exploration & Expansion", "date": "December 7", "text": "December 7 – Benjamin Franklin forms the Pennsylvania Associators, the first militia in the colony of Pennsylvania, which had no standing militia because of its foundation by pacifistic Quakers.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1372981647#October–December", "title": "1747", "revid": 1372981647, "section": "Events › October–December"}}, {"year": 1751, "year_label": "1751 CE", "section": "Culture & Society", "date": "August 13", "text": "August 13 – The Academy and College of Philadelphia, predecessor to the private University of Pennsylvania, opens its doors, with Benjamin Franklin as president.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1351037611#July–September", "title": "1751", "revid": 1351037611, "section": "Events › July–September"}}, {"year": 1751, "year_label": "1751 CE", "section": "Culture & Society", "date": "January 7", "text": "January 7 – The University of Pennsylvania, conceived 12 years earlier by Benjamin Franklin and its other trustees to provide non-denominational higher education \"to train young people for leadership in business, government and public service\". rather than for the ministry, holds its first classes as \"The Academy and Charitable School in the Province of Pennsylvania\" in Philadelphia.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1351037611#January–March", "title": "1751", "revid": 1351037611, "section": "Events › January–March"}}, {"year": 1751, "year_label": "1751 CE", "section": "Health & Medicine", "date": "May 11", "text": "May 11 – The Pennsylvania Hospital, first hospital in the American colonies, is chartered in Philadelphia by the Pennsylvania legislature, which grants the right to Benjamin Franklin and to Dr. Thomas Bond.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1351037611#April–June", "title": "1751", "revid": 1351037611, "section": "Events › April–June"}}, {"year": 1752, "year_label": "1752 CE", "section": "Science & Discovery", "date": "May 10", "text": "May 10 – At Marly-la-Ville in France, physicist Thomas-François Dalibard successfully conducts the kite experiment proposed by Benjamin Franklin in the 1750 book Franklin's Experiments and Observations on Electricity.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1362993688#April–June", "title": "1752", "revid": 1362993688, "section": "Events › April–June"}}, {"year": 1753, "year_label": "1753 CE", "section": "Technology & Infrastructure", "date": "August 6", "text": "August 6 – Russian scientist Georg Richmann becomes the first person to be electrocuted by his own equipment after he uses an insulated, but improperly grounded, lightning rod in an attempt to gather data on a thunderstorm. Richmann also becomes the first victim of ball lightning during his scientific experiment, in an attempt to replicate the experiments of American Benjamin Franklin.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1362641691#July–September", "title": "1753", "revid": 1362641691, "section": "Events › July–September"}}, {"year": 1766, "year_label": "1766 CE", "section": "Culture & Society", "date": "February 13", "text": "February 13 – John Mills is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, with Benjamin Franklin as one of his sponsors.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1358061260#January–March", "title": "1766", "revid": 1358061260, "section": "Events › January–March"}}, {"year": 1766, "year_label": "1766 CE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": "March 18", "text": "March 18 – American Revolution: The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act, which has been very unpopular in the British colonies; the persuasion of Benjamin Franklin is considered partly responsible. The Declaratory Act asserts the right of Britain to bind the colonies in all other respects.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1358061260#January–March", "title": "1766", "revid": 1358061260, "section": "Events › January–March"}}, {"year": 1773, "year_label": "1773 CE", "section": "Health & Medicine", "date": "September 11", "text": "September 11 – The Public Advertiser publishes a satirical essay titled Rules By Which A Great Empire May Be Reduced To A Small One, written by Benjamin Franklin.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365114710#July–September", "title": "1773", "revid": 1365114710, "section": "Events › July–September"}}, {"year": 1775, "year_label": "1775 CE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": "July 26", "text": "July 26 – The Second Continental Congress appoints Benjamin Franklin to be the first Postmaster General of what later becomes the United States Post Office Department.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365589248#July–December", "title": "1775", "revid": 1365589248, "section": "Events › July–December"}}, {"year": 1776, "year_label": "1776 CE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": "July 4", "text": "July 4 – American Revolution: United States Declaration of Independence – The Continental Congress approves the declaration by the United States of its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. The text was drafted during June by Benjamin Franklin.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365773863#July–August", "title": "1776", "revid": 1365773863, "section": "Events › July–August"}}, {"year": 1779, "year_label": "1779 CE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": "January 29", "text": "January 29 – After a second petition for partition from its residents, the North Carolina General Assembly abolishes Bute County, North Carolina (established 1764) by dividing it and naming the northern portion Warren County (for Revolutionary War hero Joseph Warren), the southern portion Franklin County (for Benjamin Franklin). The General Assembly also establishes Warrenton (also named for Joseph Warren) to be the seat of Warren County, and Louisburg (named for Louis XVI of France) to be the seat of Franklin County.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370567590#January–March", "title": "1779", "revid": 1370567590, "section": "Events › January–March"}}, {"year": 1784, "year_label": "1784 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Benjamin Franklin tries in vain to persuade the French to alter their clocks in winter to take advantage of the daylight.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370567291#Date_unknown", "title": "1784", "revid": 1370567291, "section": "Events › Date unknown"}}, {"year": 1784, "year_label": "1784 CE", "section": "Science & Discovery", "date": null, "text": "Benjamin Franklin invents bifocal spectacles.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370567291#Date_unknown", "title": "1784", "revid": 1370567291, "section": "Events › Date unknown"}}, {"year": 1785, "year_label": "1785 CE", "section": "Technology & Infrastructure", "date": "May 23", "text": "May 23 – Benjamin Franklin receives a patent for bifocals.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370566385#April–June", "title": "1785", "revid": 1370566385, "section": "Events › April–June"}}, {"year": 1785, "year_label": "1785 CE", "section": "Religion & Belief", "date": "October 18", "text": "October 18 – Benjamin Franklin takes office as the new President of the Supreme Council of Pennsylvania, at the time the equivalent of a republic as one of the 13 independent governments of the United States of America under the Articles of Confederation.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370566385#October–December", "title": "1785", "revid": 1370566385, "section": "Events › October–December"}}, {"year": 1785, "year_label": "1785 CE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": "September 13", "text": "September 13 – Benjamin Franklin returns to Philadelphia after seven years as the U.S. Ambassador to France and prepares to take office as the new Governor of Pennsylvania.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370566385#July–September", "title": "1785", "revid": 1370566385, "section": "Events › July–September"}}, {"year": 1824, "year_label": "1824 CE", "section": "Deaths", "date": "December 5", "text": "December 5 – Anne Louise Boyvin d'Hardancourt Brillon de Jouy, French confidant of Benjamin Franklin (b. 1744)", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359333471#July–December", "title": "1824", "revid": 1359333471, "section": "Deaths › July–December"}}]}