On January 17, 1706, Benjamin Franklin was born in a small house his parents had.
leased on Milk Street in Boston Massachusetts. He had sixteen siblings, that left the house.
as he grew older, but he could recollect sitting at a dinner table with at least a dozen of.
them, as an earliest memory.1 The period of education and apprenticeship had begun. At.
the early age of ten, before which he was attending school, Benjamin began working with.
his father in the family business, as a soap and candle maker. But that wasn't an attractive.
career for the young Benjamin. The main source of the raw resource for the business were.
from the carcasses of animals. He tried his way into a cutlery apprenticeship.
Unfortunately that didn't go through, and he went on to be an apprentice to his half.
brother James, as a printer.2 James Franklin, nine years older than Ben, set up a shop only.
three blocks away from Ben's father, Josiah's house.3 Benjamin helped print the New.
England Courant, and published James" newspaper. At the age of 17, Benjamin left.
Boston and went to Philadelphia, were he found employment at a local print shop there. In.
1724, Benjamin was sent to England to buy printing equipment, and after a short.
employment there, he returned in 1726 to establish a printing business of his own. He.
become the owner of The Pennsylvania Gazette in 1730.4 .
Benjamin Franklin was signalized by the publication of The Poor Richard's.
Almanac. It was a profitable time for him as a printer, publisher, and journalist. He first.
published The Poor Richard's Almanac under the name of Richard Saunders, which.
appeared December 19, 1732. It was continued by Benjamin Franklin for about 25 years. .
It is considered the most popular almanac in eighteenth-century America.5 At the time, it.
was in such demand it was vending ten thousand annually. The Almanac was a means of.
instruction by communicating both entertaining and useful information. The almanac was.
