Benjamin Franklin was a 17-year-old runaway when he arrived in
Philadelphia in 1723. Yet within days he'd found a job at a local print
shop, met the woman he would eventually marry, and even attracted the
attention of Pennsylvania's governor. A decade later, he became a
colonial celebrity with the publication of Poor Richard: An Almanack
and would go on to become one of America's most distinguished Founding
Fathers. Franklin established the colonies' first lending library,
volunteer fire company, and postal service, and was a leading expert in
the study of electricity. He represented the Pennsylvania colony in
London but returned to help draft the Declaration of Independence. The
new nation then named him Minister to France, where he helped secure
financial and military aide for the breakaway republic.Author Brandon
Marie Miller captures the essence of this exceptional individual through
both his original writings and hands-on activities from the era. Readers
will design and print an almanac cover, play a simple glass armonica (a
Franklin invention), experiment with static electricity, build a
barometer, and more. The text also includes a time line, glossary, Web
and travel resources, and reading list for further study.