Chief Events in Franklin's Life
¶[Ending, as it does, with the year 1757, the autobiography leaves important facts unrecorded. It has seemed advisable, therefore, to detail the chief events in Franklin's life, from the beginning, in the following list: 1706 He is born, in Boston, and baptized in the Old South Church.
¶1714 At the age of eight, enters the Grammar School.
¶1716 Becomes his father's assistant in the tallow-chandlery business.
¶1718 Apprenticed to his brother James, printer.
¶1721 Writes ballads and peddles them, in printed form, in the streets; contributes, anonymously, to the "New England Courant," and temporarily edits that paper; becomes a free-thinker, and a
¶vegetarian.
¶1723 Breaks his indenture and removes to Philadelphia; obtains employ
¶ment in Keimer's printing-office; abandons vegetarianism.
¶1724 Is persuaded by Governor Keith to establish himself independently, and goes to London to buy type; works at his trade there, and publishes "Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and
¶Pain."
¶1726 Returns to Philadelphia; after serving as clerk in a dry-goods
¶store, becomes manager of Keimer's printing-house.
¶1727 Founds the Junto, or "Leathern Apron" Club.
¶1728 With Hugh Meredith, opens a printing-office.
¶1729 Becomes proprietor and editor of the "Pennsylvania Gazette"; prints, anonymously, "Nature and Necessity of a Paper Cur
¶rency"; opens a stationer's shop.
¶1730 Marries Deborah Read.
¶1731 Founds the Philadelphia Library.
¶1732 Publishes the first number of "Poor Richard's Almanac" under the pseudonym of "Richard Saunders." The Almanac, which continued for twenty-five years to contain his witty, worldly-wise sayings, played a very large part in bringing together and molding the American character which was at that time made up of so many diverse and scattered [164]types. 1733 Begins to study French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin.
¶1736 Chosen clerk of the General Assembly; forms the Union Fire Corn
¶pany of Philadelphia.
¶1737 Elected to the Assembly; appointed Deputy Postmaster-General;
¶plans a city police.
¶174a Invents the open, or "Franklin," stove.
¶1743 Proposes a plan for an Academy, which is adopted 1749 and devel
¶ops into the University of Pennsylvania.
¶1744 Establishes the American Philosophical Society.
¶1746 Publishes a pamphlet, "Plain Truth," on the necessity for disciplined defense, and forms a military company; begins elec
¶trical experiments.
¶1748 Sells out his printing business; is appointed on the Commission of
¶the Peace, chosen to the Common Council, and to the Assembly. 1749 Appointed a Commissioner to trade with the Indians.
¶1751 Aids in founding a hospital.
¶1752 Experiments with a kite and discovers that lightning is an elec
¶trical discharge.
¶1753 Awarded the Copley medal for this discovery, and elected a member of the Royal Society; receives the degree of M.A. from Yale
¶and Harvard. Appointed joint Postmaster-General.
¶1754 Appointed one of the Commissioners from Pennsylvania to the Colonial Congress at Albany; proposes a plan for the union of
¶the colonies.
¶1755 Pledges his personal property in order that supplies may be raised for Braddock's army; obtains a grant from the Assembly in aid of the Crown Point expedition; carries through a bill establishing
¶a voluntary militia; is appointed Colonel, and takes the field.
¶1757 Introduces a bill in the Assembly for paving the streets of Philadelphia; publishes his famous "Way to Wealth"; goes to England to plead the cause of the Assembly against the Proprietaries; remains as agent for Pennsylvania; enjoys the friendship of the scientific and literary men of the kingdom.
[here the Autobiography Breaks Off]
¶1760 Secures from the Privy Council, by a compromise, a decision oblig
¶ing the Proprietary estates to contribute to the public revenue. 1762 Receives the degree of D. C. L. from Oxford; returns to America.