By Nader J. - Gotha Middle School, Windermere, Florida.

Benjamin Franklin was a scientist, diplomat, and inventor. He was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston. He was the 15th of 17 children in the Franklin, home. His father, Josia Franklin was married to his second spouse Abiah Folger. He was the tenth son. He entered grammar school from eight to ten years of age. When he became ten hes helped in his father's business. When Benjamin was 13, his older brother James came home from England with a printing press. Benjamin quickly started using the press to do work for his father and brother. In 1721 James established the New England Current paper. Benjamin would deliver the paper in the day and write some articles to be placed in the paper, at night. In 1730 he married Deborah Read. In 1731 he started setting up what was probably the first public library in America, The Philadelphia Library. In 1742 he officially got the authorization from the state of Philadelphia to open the library.

In 1747 he started his electrical experiments with a simple gadget he got from an English man. Later he had a theory that lightning was an electric phenomenon. He also proposed a

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In 1732, Franklin published the maiden issue of Poor Richard's Almanack - a collection of wit, wisdom and common sense philosophies that would win wide attention on both sides of he Atlantic.

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I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others. Most men indeed as well as most sects in Religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that wherever others differ from them it is so far error. Steele a Protestant in a Dedication tells the Pope, that the only difference between our Churches in their opinions of the certainty of their doctrines is, the Church of Rome is infallible and the Church of England is never in the wrong. But though many private persons think almost as highly of their own infallibility as of that of their sect, few express it so naturally as a certain french lady, who in a dispute with her sister, said "I don't know how it happens, Sister but I meet with no body but myself, that's always in the right-Il n'y a que moi qui a toujours raison."

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Approximate Word count = 3422
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)