Timeline Description: Benjamin Franklin was known as an inventor and a thinker. He made many contributions to the America we know today, and his achievements are outlined in this timeline.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1706 | Benjamin Franklin Benjamin was born in Boston, MA. |
| 1717 | His first invention An 11 year old Benjamin invented a pair of fins to wear on his hands while he swam. |
| 1720 | A love for learning Benjamin loved reading and studying so much that he gave up lots of other activities to give him more time to learn. He even gave up church! |
| 1722 | The Vegetarian Benjamin gave up eating meat so that it would save him money to buy more books. |
| 1723 | The Printer Benjamin began work as a printer, printing the newspapers and books he loved so much. |
| 1728 | His first publication Benjamin had his first paper published. It was titled "Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion", and many others papers followed. |
| 1729 | Paper money (1729 and 1736) In 1729 Benjamin wrote a paper on the need for paper money in the colonies. In 1736 he printed his first run of paper money for New Jersey. |
| 1737 | The First Postmaster Benjamin was appointed as the first Postmaster of Philadelphia. |
| 1746 | Experimentation Benjamin started his first of many electrical experiments. |
| 1747 | An electrical tube Benjamin's friend, Peter Collinson, from London sent him the item known as the electrical tube. It helped strengthen Benjamin's resolve to find electricity. |
| 1752 | The Kite Benjamin conducts his famous kite and electricity experiment. He tied a key to a kite, and he flew it in a lightning storm. |
| 1753 | Joint Postmaster General Benjamin was appointed the joint Postmaster General of North America. He later mapped out all the mail routes in the colonies. |
| 1776 | The Declaration of Independence Benjamin Franklin helped write the Declaration of Independence. |
| 1783 | The Bifocals Benjamin invented the bifocal glasses, which allowed a person to see clearly up close or far away. |
| 1790 | Benjamin's death Benjamin died at the age of 84. He contributed to the founding of public schooling, the money system, religious institutions, the American government, and more-he will never be forgotten. |