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
