by Norman Rockwell
Posted on 01/17/2018 7:53:13 AM PST by harpygoddess
January 17th is the anniversary of the birth of American statesman, philosopher, and scientist Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) in Boston. After apprenticing with his brother as a printer, Franklin settled in Philadelphia, published The Pennsylvania Gazette, and gained a wide circle of readers with his Poor Richard's Almanack (1732-1757). Entering civic affairs, he was eventually appointed Postmaster General for the colonies (1753-1774) while also dabbling in a variety of scientific pursuits.
Before the Revolution, Franklin spent a total of 14 years representing the Pennsylvania Assembly in England, attempting to achieve reconciliation with the home country. Failing that, he was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775 and signed the Declaration of Independence the next year. Appointed to represent the American colonies in France, he spent the next nine years in Paris and helped negotiate the peace with Britain in 1781. After his return to the United States, Franklin served as a member of the Constitutional Convention and died three years later.
And then there's... That Time (in 1998) They Found Those Bodies in Ben Franklin's Basement:
One month into the renovations, a construction worker found something odd: a small pit was in a windowless basement room. Inside, sticking out of the dirt floor, was a human thigh bone.
The police were called and supervised excavation continued. More human bones were pulled up, until some 1,200 pieces of bone were recovered. Initial examinations revealed that the bones were the remains of 10 bodies, six of them children, and were a little more than 200 years old. Their age discouraged any interest from Scotland Yard, but piqued the curiosity of historians and the Institute of Archaeology. The bones' age meant they may have been buried in the basement around the same time that Franklin was living in the house.
(Excerpt) Read more at vaviper.blogspot.com ...
~ Franklin (letter to M. Leroy, 1789)
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
~ Franklin
He was a clever fellow, but not a decent human being.
Bodies were found, but it wasn’t “his” basement. A physician, who lived in the building, used the remains for research.
When the doctor died as a result of his research on one of the bodies (cut his finger that became infected), Franklin moved his wife and family to the United States.
He was a clever fellow, but not a decent human being.
He never actually gave the advice to prefering older women because “they don’t swell, they don’t tell, and they’re gratefull as h*ll”.
I have read the actual letter that the supposed quote is derived from, and it cautions care and concern for women.
Franklin only suggests that if his correspondent *must* have a mistress that he avoid ruining the life or a younger woman, and his correspondent would do less damage with an older mistress.
I really like his signature.
I’d be tempted to buy this, but there’s no way I’m going to pay $38 for shipping.
https://m.ebay.com/itm/BENJAMIN-FRANKLIN-LAND-GRANT-SIGNED-05-24-1787-/302008828531
What’s 38 bucks on top of $30K.
by Norman Rockwell
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” - Ben Franklin
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