Benjamin Franklin Fun Facts

Benjamin Franklin Fun Facts

Did you know...

...that when Benjamin Franklin was only 16 years old, he began to submit letters to his brother's newspaper "The New England Courant" (the first newspaper in Boston) under the ficitonal name of "Silence Dogood"? Knowing that his brother would never allow him to publish anything, Ben Franklin wrote letters using this fictional name. "Mrs. Dogood" wrote very opinionated letters ridiculing the world around "her", including the treatment of women at the time. Silence Dogood became a very popular contributor to the newspaper, submitting at least 14 letters before Benjamin finally confessed to his brother that it was he who actually wrote them.

...that in 1729, Benjamin Franklin bought his own newspaper - the "Pennsylvania Gazette". With only 90 subscribers at the time he purchased it, Franklin turned it into a popular newspaper. In later years, the "Pennsylvania Gazette" became "The Saturday Evening Post".

...Silence Dogood wasn't Ben Franklin's only "nom de plume" (pen name). He first published the yearly "Poor Richard's Almanack" in 1732 or 1733, under the name of Richard Saunders. This gazette published weather reports and witty sayings, and quickly became very popular. The phrase "A penny saved is a penny earned" came from Richard Saunders, aka Benjamin Franklin. Years later some of the most popular sayings were collected and re-published in a book