Benjamin Franklin
Philadelphia's founding polymath
Benjamin Franklin was an American statesman, scientist, and writer who helped shape the United States in its founding era.
He signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
His experiments with electricity—including the famous kite in a thunderstorm—established key principles of the field.
Franklin's aphorisms from *Poor Richard's Almanack* endure: A penny saved is a penny earned.
His face appears on the hundred-dollar bill, making Benjamins slang for money.
America's founding proclamation
- ConstitutionGoverning principles document
- Founding FatherEarly republic's key architect
- Continental CongressColonial era legislature
- PhiladelphiaPennsylvania's largest metropolis
delegate · signatory · Constitutional Convention · independence · patriot · colonies · American Revolution · George Washington
Dual-strength corrective lenses
- lightning rodGrounded spike for discharges
- swim finsFoot-worn water propulsion aids
- odometerVehicle distance recorder
- patentObvious; inventor's monopoly
tinkering · experimentation · gadgetry · innovation · ingenuity · daylight saving
Book-borrowing facility
- fire companyOrganized firefighting unit
- University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia Ivy League institution
- PhiladelphiaPennsylvania's largest metropolis
- postmasterPostal office manager
public service · civic virtue · junto · volunteer · community · public good · philanthropy
Grounded spike for discharges
- kite experimentTest linking lightning to electricity
- keyLock-opening device
- static electricityAccumulated surface charge
- chargeCost or accusation
conductor · insulator · lightning · thunderstorm · positive charge · negative charge · spark · discharge
Terse general truth
- proverbTraditional saying expressing truth
- maximBrief moral principle
- witClever, inventive humor
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
common sense · sagacity · practical wisdom · moral instruction · self-improvement · thrift · industry · temperance
Official foreign representative
- FranceWestern European republic
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- allianceFormal union of parties
- ParisFrance's chief city
Versailles · negotiation · envoy · minister · plenipotentiary · foreign affairs · French court · Louis XVI
Declaration of Independence
America's founding proclamation
- ConstitutionGoverning principles document
- Founding FatherEarly republic's key architect
- Continental CongressColonial era legislature
Philadelphia · delegate · signatory · Constitutional Convention · independence · patriot · colonies · American Revolution · George Washington · Thomas Jefferson
bifocals
Dual-strength corrective lenses
- lightning rodGrounded spike for discharges
- swim finsFoot-worn water propulsion aids
- odometerVehicle distance recorder
patent · tinkering · experimentation · gadgetry · innovation · ingenuity · daylight saving
lending library
Book-borrowing facility
- fire companyOrganized firefighting unit
- University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia Ivy League institution
- PhiladelphiaPennsylvania's largest metropolis
postmaster · public service · civic virtue · junto · volunteer · community · public good · philanthropy
lightning rod
Grounded spike for discharges
- kite experimentTest linking lightning to electricity
- keyLock-opening device
- static electricityAccumulated surface charge
charge · conductor · insulator · lightning · thunderstorm · positive charge · negative charge · spark · discharge · electrostatics
aphorism
Terse general truth
prudence · common sense · sagacity · practical wisdom · moral instruction · self-improvement · thrift · industry · temperance · virtue
ambassador
Official foreign representative
Paris · Versailles · negotiation · envoy · minister · plenipotentiary · foreign affairs · French court · Louis XVI · bilateral
banknote
Printed legal tender
denomination · money · cash · bills · note · engraving · mint · legal tender · reserve · face value
- American RevolutionDeclaration of Independence, Boston Tea Party, Continental Congress, founding fathers, Stamp Act
- Revolutionary WarGeorge Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross flag, Declaration of Independence
- US HistoryAmerican Revolution, US history, Civil War, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln
- American ScientistsThomas Edison, Richard Feynman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Carl Sagan, Jonas Salk
- Colonial AmericaGeorge Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, Continental Congress, American Revolution
- Famous AmericansAbraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr.
Benjamin FranklinGeorge Washington
Thomas Jefferson · Abraham Lincoln · John Adams · American presidents · military commanders
Benjamin FranklinKing George III
British ruler, late 1700s
Benedict Arnold · Louis XVI · absolute monarch · Tories · tyrant