Ben had many learning adventures during and after his years as an apprentice, journeyman, and master printer. This timeline lists the major events in his life.

1706: Born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1718: Begins printing apprenticeship to his brother.

1723: Moves to Philadelphia, PA, to work as a printer.

1724: Moves to London and works in a printer’s shop there.

1726: Returns to Philadelphia.

1727: Establishes the Junto in Philadelphia, a social and scholarly group for ‘mutual improvement’; members gathered to discuss topics in politics, philosophy, science, and other areas.

1728: Opens a print shop of his own in Philadelphia.

1729: Publishes the “Pennsylvania Gazette.”

1730: Marriage (common-law) with Deborah Read.

1731: Writes the charter for the Library Company of Philadelphia. The Library Company began as a subscription library for Franklin’s Junto.

1732: Publishes “Die Philadelphische Zeitung.” Although short lived, this was the first German-language newspaper published in America.

1732-1758: Publishes “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” a yearly compilation of days of the year, dates in history, weather patterns, astronomical data, and proverbs. Writes under the pseudonym Richard Saunders.

1743: Founds the American Philosophical Society. Daughter Sally is born; joins Ben’s son William in the Franklin household.

1746: Conducts experiments with electricity.

1748: Retires from printing.

1751: Publishes “Experiments and Observations on Electricity.”

1752: Experiments with kite and lightning.

1757: Travels to London; composes “The Way to Wealth.” Acts as a representative for the American colonies.

1771: Franklin begins composing his memoirs, now known as “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.”

1775-1776: Served as the Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

1776: Signs the Declaration of Independence, which declared that the thirteen American colonies were independent and no longer British.

1778: Negotiates Treaty of Alliance with France.

1782: Negotiates peace with Great Britain.

1783: Signs the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. John Adams and John Jay were co-signers of the treaty.

1785-1788: Serves as Governor of Pennsylvania.

1787: Signs the Constitution of the United States.

1790: Dies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Ben Franklin constantly looked for practical ways in which people’s lives could be helped or improved through scientific discoveries, observations of the natural world, and inventions. Although this was a lifelong interest, Ben was able to devote more time to his other interests after retiring from printing in 1748 at the age of 42.

During the many years that Ben published “Poor Richard’s Almanack” he had included detailed information about weather patterns, and it was Ben’s interest in ocean currents that led him to write about what we now know as the Gulf Stream. He wondered why ships that delivered mail from North America to England took less time than those traveling from England to North America. Although explorers and whalers knew of it, it was Ben that published its existence in his Maritime Observations.

In 1744, Franklin published “An Account of the New Invented Pennsylvanian Fire-Places,” where he recorded observations on a metal stove that would function like a free-standing fireplace. Although the stoves that he described had some technical issues and were later improved, he is credited with inventing what is now known as the Franklin stove.

Ben Franklin had a natural curiosity for understanding the laws of nature, such as the properties of electricity. He was fascinated by the power of lightning, but was also aware of the damage caused as it hit the tops of buildings and ship masts. Through much experimentation, he observed that attaching a pointed metal object on any tall object and connecting it to a wire that led down to the ground, or was grounded, could direct the electricity away from buildings and reduce the chance of fire from lightning strikes. Invented in 1749, his lightning rods were also known as "Franklin rods" and were installed on Independence Hall in Philadelphia and later on many other buildings. Lightning rods have been much developed and improved since Franklin’s time; the concept is just as important today, as buildings are taller than ever before.

As he grew older, Ben’s eyesight grew weaker. In 1785 he wrote about how he used two pairs of eyeglasses: one for reading, and the other for seeing distant objects. He described how he took the two eyeglasses, cut the lenses in half, and combined the two lenses in one pair. He called them his "double spectacles," and we now know these as bifocals.

Although Franklin is credited with many inventions, he never patented any of them for profit. He felt that it was more important to serve a greater good in society and to share the discoveries and practical inventions that came from his observations.

During Ben’s time as a printer, our Nation was not yet independent with its own Government. It was made up of thirteen colonies that were ruled by Great Britain. His skills in leadership and negotiation allowed Ben to play a very important role in the founding of our Nation.

Trouble between England and the thirteen colonies started to unfold following the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The imposition of the Stamp, Townshend, and Intolerable Acts angered the colonists to rebel against Great Britain. The Stamp Act of 1765 was designed to gather taxes from the colonists by declaring that certain paper goods had to be purchased from Great Britain and include a tax on them. The taxes were meant to gather money for Great Britain, but the colonists had no representation in the British Parliament. ‘No Taxation Without Representation’ sprang up as a rallying cry for the colonists. On April 19, 1775, the colonists went to war for their independence. During the fight for independence, Ben went to Europe to act as a representative for the colonies. Upon his return, he was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Ben lived in France for nine years, from 1776 to 1785. He acted as an ambassador and was a famous and popular individual. The French welcomed him into their social circles and sold trinkets with Ben’s image, including Ben in his fur cap, which he had acquired traveling in Canada. The French had fought in the past against the British, and Ben negotiated with the French for the Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778. This helped the colonists prepare for their revolution by securing guns, ammunition, and other supplies for the army, including volunteer troops. His successful diplomacy established a strong and friendly relationship with France that continues to this day.

When the colonists won their independence in 1781, Ben traveled to Great Britain to negotiate the end of the American Revolutionary War and the peace with England; he signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Although he was the oldest delegate and his health was failing, he attended the Constitutional Convention and signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787. He became the only Founding Father to have signed all five documents that established American independence: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Ben Franklin’s association with books, printing, and writing was a constant throughout his long life.

As a young boy, Ben worked as an apprentice printer to his brother James, who worked in a printing shop. He later worked as a journeyman printer in other shops, then became a master printer and eventually owned his own printing business. Printing was done by hand, letter by letter, so he became very familiar with the placement of letters, words, font sizes, and page layout. He was acutely aware of editing and revision of the printed word and frequently edited his works over the years.

Joining together with like-minded associates, Ben formed the Junto, which was also known as the Leather Apron club. Tradesmen such as printers wore leather aprons as part of their work; the idea reflected the makeup of the group, which set itself apart from more elite gentlemen's clubs. The group met to hold good-natured discussions on science, philosophy, morals, and civic virtue. The Junto shared their books, and this collection later grew into a subscription library.

Ben spent the first half of his life in the printing business and had a lifelong association with printing. But from a young age, Ben was also composing works as well. From his beginning as a young printer, he wrote anonymous letters under the name “Silence Dogood” that were published in his brother’s newspaper. He wrote “Poor Richard’s Almanack” under the name Richard Saunders; he later wrote “The Way to Wealth” anonymously. There was a reason to write under an assumed name; many of the aphorisms, or proverbs, printed in Poor Richard’s Almanack were already in use, such as “there are no gains without pains” and “early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” One of his best known works is his autobiography; it was begun as a letter to his son and then expanded over a number of years into a memoir.

You can read a digitized copy of the “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” at the Internet Archive.