Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was an American statesman and inventor; he had 16 brothers and sisters. His father’s name was Josiah Franklin. He had a wife named Deborah Read, he had 2 kids, the first one was Francis Folger Franklin, born October 1732, died of smallpox in 1736, the other one, Sarah Franklin, familiarly called Sally, was born in 1743. She eventually married Richard Bache, had seven children, and cared for her father in his old age. Benjamin Franklin went to school for only 2 years because his family didn’t have enough money. When he was old enough he partnered with his much older brother and ran a printing business. His brother was disappointed that Ben was more popular than him, and because of that he made Benjamin work harder, Benjamin left his apprenticeship without permission and became someone running from the law. At the age of 17 Benjamin ran away to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He got a job in a printing shop and earned money, he soon was not satisfied with it and soon went to Governor Sir William Keith hoping to get some equipment to create his own printing shop, he went to London, but it was not possible so he went and worked in another printing shop, after this he went back to Philadelphia in 1726 with the help of Thomas Denham, a merchant who employed him as a clerk, shopkeeper and bookkeeper in his business. After a while in 1750 he published an experiment that will show the use of electricity and where to find it, he used a kite to prove it, he would fly the kite in a storm, with lots of lightning and some of the lightning would strike the kite and would cause a flow of electricity down the metal string and to a key, he had himself insulated, if he didn’t then the experiment would be dangerous as he might be electrocuted. On May 10, 1752 Thomas-François Dalibard of France conducted Franklin's experiment using a 40-foot (12 m)-tall iron rod instead of a kite; he successfully attracted sparks from a cloud.