Born on January 17, 1706 in Boston as the 15th child of a soap-boiler, FRANKLIN
first learnt the art of printing, and over many years he published himself a newspaper
and a well known calendar. He founded the ‘Philosophical Society’ and established
the first public library on the American continent. Between 1757 and 1776 he
represented the interests of the North American colonies in Britain and became a
leading figure in the independence movement. He contributed to a significant extent
to the formulation of the Constitution of the United States. He died on April 17, 1790
in Philadelphia. As a scientist he became known primarily with his letters on
electricity and is known as the inventor of the lightning conductor. He considered
earthquakes to be nothing else than subterranean thunderstorms in subterranean
caves.
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