On this day in history, June 10, 1752, Benjamin Franklin reportedly flew a kite during a thunderstorm, with the goal of collecting ambient electrical charge in a Leyden jar — a container that could ...

Benjamin Franklin, scientist, philosopher, author and the most celebrated American on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in the era of revolution, was born on this day in history, Jan. 17, 1706. The ...

In 1766, Benjamin Franklin appeared before the British House of Commons to argue against the Stamp Act, laying out the ...

Joyce Chaplin's new book "The Franklin Stove" is out now. (Book cover courtesy Farrar, Straus and Giroux; author photo courtesy Saffron Sener) The winter of 1740-41 was exceptionally cold and Benjamin ...

In 1738, Benjamin Franklin wasn’t yet the revolutionary history remembers him to be. It had been 10 years since he had set up a printing house and nine since he began to publish the Pennsylvania ...

In 1731, book lover Franklin created the Library Company of Philadelphia, where this week visitors can see a collection of his papers worth an estimated $3 million to $4.5 million ...

Franklin's Bookshop in Philadelphia, 1745. Painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, ca. 1910. Monday, Aug. 19 and Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream the 2-part series now with KPBS ...

To most Americans, Benjamin Franklin is an institution. But to Ken Burns, the Founding Father was as modern as it gets — just 200 years too soon. Franklin is the subject of the Oscar-nominated ...

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know! Shiny black loafers clicked on Old City’s stone streets, the polished brass buckles ...

This bonus scene features Benjamin Franklin House in London, his only surviving residence. Though he also lived in Boston, Philadelphia, and Paris, Franklin’s only surviving residence is Benjamin ...