11 Facts About Benjamin Franklin That Will Leave You Totally Shocked
by N/A, 9 years ago |
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There's a lot more to your favorite founding father than you ever thought.
1. He liked to talk about drinking.
His newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, printed more than 200 synonyms for the word "drunk,"
2. He pretended to be a woman from time to time.
Some of his bylines were Alice Addertongue, Martha Careful, Polly Baker and Busy Body.
3. He's responsible for the "Join or Die" drawing.
The drawing was a call to unity that is considered the first political cartoon. It appeared in his newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette.
4. He didn't like turkey as much as everyone seems to think.
He considered the turkey to be a "much more respectable bird" when compared to the eagle, but still didn't want it on The Great Seal.
5. But he did find an odd use for them.
He told a scientist friend of his that he thought he could both kill and cook a turkey by electrocution. He wanted to perform the feat for an audience, but actually just ended up shocking himself.
6. He created a fake persona to fool his own brother.
He pretended to be a widow named Silence Dogood and wrote letters to his brother's newspaper The New-England Courant.
7. He spent a lot of time with other great thinkers.
He created a weekly discussion group with 12 other scholars to discuss topics like politics, philosophy and morals.
8. He was a great swimmer.
He was posthumously inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968. He once swam 3.5 miles in the Thames River.
9. He had a surprising roommate.
He once shared a room and bed with John Adams when they were on their way to visit Admiral Richard Howe to negotiate ending the Revolutionary War.
10. He was a librarian.
His discussion group, called Junto, needed books in order to keep up with new discussion topics. He convinced the members of the group to pull their resources to purchase books. They were able to sign 50 shareholders that would donate to the cause.
11. He was a marketing wiz.
He promoted his brother's newspaper by performing ballads about the day's events on street corners.
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