Born on January 17
Benjamin Franklin's Birthday
Printer, postmaster, inventor, kite-flyer.
Next: January 17, 2027
Where it comes from
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on 17 January 1706, and this Story marks his birthday. He left school at 10, was apprenticed to his brother, a printer, and at 17 ran away to Philadelphia, where he soon had his own print shop and newspaper, and a best-seller in Poor Richard's Almanack.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but his birthday is a good day for a small experiment, a trip to a public library (he helped found one) or a letter sent by post. The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, a science museum named after him, explains his inventions and his famous kite experiment, and his birthplace on Milk…
Did you know
Franklin made the first bifocals by having the lenses of his reading and distance glasses cut in half and set into a single frame.
Read the full story of Benjamin Franklin's Birthday
Star sign
Capricorn · December 22 – January 19 · Earth sign
Patient and ambitious, climbing steadily to the top.