Who is this article about?
Benjamin Franklin
When was he born?
April 17, 1790
What school did he help create?
University of Pennsylvania
Was he an inventor?
yes
How many inventions are mentioned?
three
What are they?
lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove
What job did he do in London?
spokesman
For what organizations?
for several colonies
Was he a printer?
yes
How many historians are quoted?
two
Who are they?
Henry Steele Commager and Walter Isaacson
What kind of science experiments did he do?
physics
What were his theories about?
electricity
He was ambassador to which country?
France
What title did he get in London?
"The First American"
Why?
for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity,
What practical values were part of the American ethos?
a marriage of the practical values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious
What Philadelphia city organization did he help found?
fire department
Was he a Founding Father?
yes
And a freemason?
yes