Free Republic

On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughan Merrick and William H. Keating founded The Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts. Within three years of its founding, that promotion took place through public lectures, a high school, a library, public exhibitions, and a research journal, and many of these endeavors remain core activities to this day... For the organization's first century, the Institute offered classes in mechanics, drafting, and engineering, and promoted science and invention. In 1930, despite the Great Depression, The Franklin Institute and the Poor Richard Club began to seek funds to...

In the years since former President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara's deaths, a number of books have come out about the couple's lives and political careers. But Rev. Russell Levenson, Jr. believed one large part of the couple's lives was missing: their faith. Levenson serves as the rector at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston and got to know the couple over more than a decade, as the Bushes regularly attended Sunday services. He has reflected a lot on his relationship with them and decided to chronicle not only their lives and deaths but also what he...

3 “For the 28 years that he served as chancellor of Germany, Bismarck preserved what he had built by a restrained and wise diplomacy, which was the single most important element in maintaining the peace of Europe.” – Henry Kissinger Some people complain I never have a good word to say about the United States. That’s not quite true. I am sure if I dig deep enough, I can find a piece or two from a daily column that spans more than a decade where I said something nice. But today, I will change tracks: George H.W. Bush, the 41st...

The trial of a Delaware man who confessed last year to drunkenly snapping off the finger of an ancient Chinese terra-cotta warrior statue at the Franklin Institute ended in a mistrial Tuesday, after the jury reported it was deadlocked on whether prosecutors had charged him under the appropriate law. The panel of seven men and five women spent roughly 11 hours debating the fate of Michael Rohana, 25, of Bear, but was unable to reach a verdict on counts including theft and concealment of an object of cultural heritage. U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker dismissed jurors just after 4:30...

Chinese authorities are livid over the theft of a thumb from a 2,000-year-old terracotta warrior on loan to a US museum, calling for the perpetrator to be "severely" punished. The ancient statue is valued at $4.5 million and considered a "priceless part of China's cultural heritage." It was on display at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute when the vandalism took place. "We call on the United States to severely punish those who have done [this]," Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relic Exchange Center's director told the Beijing Youth Daily, a state-run Chinese newspaper. The warrior statues date back to 209 B.C., when the...

PHILADELPHIA - A statue that stood guard, buried and undamaged for more than 2,000 years, couldn’t contend with a man at a private party in Philadelphia who just had to sneak off and take a selfie, according to multiple media reports. The man, later identified as Michael Rohana, 24, was seen in a restricted area at the Franklin Institute during a party on Dec. 21 that was held after-hours at the museum, The New York Times reported. FBI officials said Rohana used his cellphone’s flash as a light source to see the displays. He then put his arm around one...