Ben Franklin (1706--1790)

Modern biographies suggest old Ben was something of a sharp operator rather than a person of incredible rectitude. But that only lionizes him the more. Howard Da Silva did a nice turn as Ben in the film 1776. If Ben had had his way, the national bird would have been the wild turkey---or so the film suggests.

As a scientist Ben is is most famous for his electrical researches.

Images

  1. about Ben
  2. St. Andrews Mathematics History Archive Ben Franklin biography Ben even ventured into mathematical research with his magic squares.

Images

  1. Ben
  2. Ben reading
  3. Head of Ben