Today would be the 306th birthday of Benjamin Franklin, whose contributions stretched far beyond his role as Founding Father. The polymath inventor was a significant figure in the American Enlightenment, paving the way for the evolution of politics, science, and even the country’s infrastructure.
Humble Beginnings
Franklin’s father, Josiah Franklin, was a soap and candle maker who emigrated to Boston with his first wife, Anne Child, in 1683. The two had seven children together before Anne passed away. Josiah remarried Abiah Folger in 1689; Benjamin was their eighth child—and Josiah’s fifteenth.
Franklin’s parents had little money, so Franklin received only a few years of formal education. He continued on his own, reading everything he could get his hands on. When Franklin was 12, he began an apprenticeship with his older brother James, learning the printing industry.
Launching a New Career
Five years later he ran away to Philadelphia, effectively making him a fugitive! Franklin soon established himself as a leader in Philadelphia’s intellectual community. He was made Grand Master of the local Masonic lodge by 1734, a title that illustrates his esteem in the community. Here’s a look at other, lesser known milestones in Franklin’s life and career:
- In 1730 Franklin entered a common-law marriage with Deborah Read after her husband ran off with her dowry. Franklin had proposed to Deborah years before, when she was fifteen, but her mother objected to their match.
- Deborah allowed Franklin’s illegitimate son, William, to become a part of their family. William grew up to be the last Loyalist governor in the colonies, for which his father could never forgive him. The two were estranged, and William eventually settled in England.
- Franklin was a prolific inventor. He is credited with creating the lightning rod, bifocal glasses, and the Franklin stove, among many others. He never sought patents for his inventions, noting that they should be used for bettering society.
- Always interested in expediting news delivery, Franklin began to explore ocean currents and their effect on the duration of ocean voyages. With the help of his cousin, he identified and named the Gulf Stream, which had a significant impact on nautical exploration and seafaring.
- Franklin and his contemporary Leonhard Euler were the only major scientists of the time to support the wave theory of light. A major underpinning of modern physics, this theory is the basic basis for the work of countless modern scientists, including Stephen Hawking.
- Though the field of economics would not be recognized until Adam Smith published Wealth of Nations in 1775, Franklin lent an economist’s eye to issues affecting farmers, such as price controls and subsidies for the poor. He also strongly advocated the use of paper money over metal-based currency.
- Franklin was the first chess player recognized by name in the American colonies. An avid player, he was also one of the earliest authors to address the game. Franklin was even inducted into the US Chess Players’ Hall of Fame in 1999.
All the while, Franklin built an extraordinary reputation as a statesman and diplomat. Though Franklin would never serve as President, his revolutionary spirit and academic achievements have earned him a place as a truly beloved figure in American history. Franklin’s legacy of excellence remains an inspiration every day.
January 17th, 2012
Today the winners of the 2011 Pulitzer Prizes were announced at Columbia University. These prizes recognize excellence in newspaper journalism, literature, and musical composition. They are awarded to American writers and artists.
The 2011 Winners
This year the following works earned Pulitzer Prizes in Letters, Drama, and Music:
- Novel: A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
- Drama: Clybourne Park (Bruce Norris)
- History: The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery (Eric Foner)
- Biography: Washington: A Life (Ron Chernow)
- Poetry: The Best of It: New and Selected Poems (Kay Ryan)
- General Non-Fiction: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
- Music: Madame White Snake (Zhou Long)
For a complete list of 2011’s winners, visit the Pulitzer Prizes online.
A Brief History of the Pulitzer
Named for Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the awards were first awarded in 1917. Since then, categories have been added or changed to reflect the evolution of journalism, literature, and music. For example the “Novel” category was changed to “Fiction” in 1948 and now includes short stories.
The list of Pulitzer Prize winners for literature includes several legendary authors, including John Updike, Toni Morrison, and Arthur Miller. Saul Bellow, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway also earned the award.
Not every eligible literary work is automatically considered for the Pulitzer. The work must be submitted along with an application in order to be judged by the independent panel that chooses winners.
What’s your favorite Pulitzer winning work of literature? And what works of literature have been overlooked for the award?
April 18th, 2011
Here at Books Tell You Why, we love a good limerick and think sonnets are splendid. That’s why we’re happy to celebrate National Poetry Month. If you’d like to join in the festivities, here are a few ways to join in:
- Follow the Academy of American Poets on Twitter via @POETSorg. Each day in April, a different poet will compose the organization’s tweets. Today’s poet is Joshua Clover.
- Put a poem in your pocket on April 14. It’s easier than ever, now that the Academy has a mobile poetry archive—from Maya Angelou to Charles Van Sandwyk, you’ll find all your favorites right on your phone.
- Write a poem—or two. If you’re feeling really brave, post one here in the comments!
- Follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Throughout the month we’ll share tidbits about poets and favorite volumes from our extensive poetry collection.
- And yes, you can of course also browse and deplete our poetry offering.
How will you be celebrating National Poetry Month? And which poets would you like to see featured?
Further Reading:
Academy of American Poets
April 6th, 2011
Peter Jackson set to direct J.R.R Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ in a two-part 3D-production of extraordinary scope.
The two films based on “The Hobbit” are now greenlit and will begin principal photography in February 2011, under the direction of Peter Jackson, it was jointly announced by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema, Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. and Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Continue Reading October 17th, 2010
Police made a “small number” of arrests in Dublin where former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to sign copies of his autobiography Saturday, a spokesman for Ireland’s national police service said.
Despite reports that shoes and eggs were thrown at Blair, police could not confirm whether anything was thrown at him, and video from inside the store showed him unscathed, without any stains on his jacket.
A crowd of people, some of them anti-war protesters, gathered outside the shop to protest Blair’s role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A line of police wearing fluorescent yellow jackets kept them back from the street in front of the Eason bookshop in central Dublin.
Blair: Bush world view had ‘immense simplicity’
Dozens of police were on duty in the street outside the bookshop since early Saturday and sections of the main thoroughfare were cordoned off to traffic.
Blair’s book, “A Journey,” describes his time in office, including his decision to go to war in Iraq. All proceeds from the book are going to the Royal British Legion, Blair has said.
Source: cnn.com
A limited number of signed copies will be available at www.BooksTellYouWhy.com beginning October 2010.
September 4th, 2010
By the end of his life, Samuel Langhorne Clemens had achieved fame as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi, a globe-trotting lecturer and, of course, the literary genius who wrote “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and other works under the name Mark Twain.
Continue Reading May 8th, 2010
A rare first edition of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, with a poignant handwritten note by the author to his young daughter, has been discovered.
Continue Reading April 9th, 2010
MT. PLEASANT, SC. Unfortunately, fraudulent behaviors and practices don’t stop. This time, a Maya Angelou first edition of Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now.
Found at a Pennsylvania bookseller, Books Tell You Why inspector Christopher Koch identified this forgery: a traced signature. How is this being done? Usually, the forger (1) takes the silhouette of a signature, printed or real, and portraits it onto the target area, either with a projector on top or with a light table from underneath; (2) then, usually with a pencil first, traces the signature; (3) the pencil signature is then traced with the final pen/marker, most always a thicker marker is used to not make the signature appear “jittery”; (4) as a last step, the pencil signature is erased again.
When looking at this particular “signature” under a magnifying glass or a high-resolution scanner (1,200 dpi), a number of identifiers became apparent. Most obvious were the “thick”, non-fluid signature and the underlying impression of the pencil tracing:
The real signature of Maya Angelou looks quite different, it is fluid and elegant:
For a list of authors and signatures to assist in the authentication process of signed books, please refer to the Reference Autographs & Signatures at Books Tell You Why.
January 23rd, 2010
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King’s birthday, January 15. It is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.
Continue Reading January 18th, 2010
