| 1706 | He is born, in Boston, and baptized in the Old South Church. |
| 1714 | At the age of eight, enters the Grammar School. |
| 1716 | Becomes his father’s assistant in the tallow-chandlery business. |
| 1718 | Apprenticed to his brother James, printer. |
| 1721 | Writes ballads and peddles them, in printed form, in the streets; contributes, anonymously, to the “New England Courant,” and temporarily edits that paper; becomes a free-thinker, and a vegetarian. |
| 1723 | Breaks his indenture and removes to Philadelphia; obtains employment in Keimer’s printing-office; abandons vegetarianism. |
| 1724 | Is persuaded by Governor Keith to establish himself independently, and goes to London to buy type; works at his trade there, and publishes “Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain.” |
| 1726 | Returns to Philadelphia; after serving as clerk in a dry-goods store, becomes manager of Keimer’s printing-house. |
| 1727 | Founds the Junto, or “Leathern Apron” Club. |
| 1728 | With Hugh Meredith, opens a printing-office. |
| 1729 | Becomes proprietor and editor of the “Pennsylvania Gazette”; prints, anonymously, “Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency”; opens a stationer’s shop. |
| 1730 | Marries Deborah Read. |
| 1731 | Founds the Philadelphia Library. |
| 1732 | Publishes the first number of “Poor Richard’s Almanac” under the pseudonym of “Richard Saunders.” The Almanac, which continued for twenty-five years to contain his witty, worldly-wise sayings, played a very large part in bringing together and molding the American character which was at that time made up of so many diverse and scattered types. |
| 1738 | Begins to study French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. |
| 1736 | Chosen clerk of the General Assembly; forms the Union Fire Company of Philadelphia. |
| 1737 | Elected to the Assembly; appointed Deputy Postmaster-General; plans a city police. |
| 1742 | Invents the open, or “Franklin,” stove. |
| 1743 | Proposes a plan for an Academy, which is adopted 1749 and develops into the University of Pennsylvania. |
| 1744 | Establishes the American Philosophical Society. |
| 1746 | Publishes a pamphlet, “Plain Truth,” on the necessity for disciplined defense, and forms a military company; begins electrical experiments. |
| 1748 | Sells out his printing business; is appointed on the Commission of the Peace, chosen to the Common Council, and to the Assembly. |
| 1749 | Appointed a Commissioner to trade with the Indians. |
| 1751 | Aids in founding a hospital. |
| 1752 | Experiments with a kite and discovers that lightning is an electrical discharge. |
| 1753 | Awarded the Copley medal for this discovery, and elected a member of the Royal Society; receives the degree of M.A. from Yale and Harvard. Appointed joint Postmaster-General. |
| 1754 | Appointed one of the Commissioners from Pennsylvania to the Colonial Congress at Albany; proposes a plan for the union of the colonies. |
| 1755 | Pledges his personal property in order that supplies may be raised for Braddock’s army; obtains a grant from the Assembly in aid of the Crown Point expedition; carries through a bill establishing a voluntary militia; is appointed Colonel, and takes the field. |
| 1757 | Introduces a bill in the Assembly for paving the streets of Philadelphia; publishes his famous “Way to Wealth”; goes to England to plead the cause of the Assembly against the Proprietaries; remains as agent for Pennsylvania; enjoys the friendship of the scientific and literary men of the kingdom.
[HERE THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY BREAKS OFF] |
| 1760 | Secures from the Privy Council, by a compromise, a decision obliging the Proprietary estates to contribute to the public revenue. |
| 1762 | Receives the degree of D. C. L. from Oxford; returns to America. |
| 1763 | Makes a five months’ tour of the northern colonies for the purpose of inspecting the post-offices. |
| 1764 | Defeated by the Penn faction for reelection to the Assembly; sent to England as agent for Pennsylvania. |
| 1765 | Endeavors to prevent the passage of the Stamp Act. |
| 1766 | Examined before the House of Commons relative to the passage of the Stamp Act; appointed agent of Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Georgia; visits Göttingen University. |
| 1767 | Travels in France and is presented at court. |
| 1769 | Procures a telescope for Harvard College. |
| 1772 | Elected Associé Etranger of the French Academy. |
| 1774 | Dismissed from the office of Postmaster-General; influences Thomas Paine to emigrate to America. |
| 1775 | Returns to America; chosen a delegate to the Second Continental Congress; placed on the committee of secret correspondence; appointed one of the commissioners to secure the cooperation of Canada. |
| 1776 | Placed on the committee to draft a Declaration of Independence; chosen president of the Constitutional Committee of Pennsylvania; sent to France as agent of the colonies. |
| 1778 | Concludes treaties of defensive alliance, and of amity and commerce; is received at court. |
| 1779 | Appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to France. |
| 1780 | Appoints Paul Jones commander of the “Alliance.” |
| 1782 | Signs the preliminary articles of peace. |
| 1783 | Signs the definite treaty of peace. |
| 1785 | Returns to America; is chosen President of Pennsylvania; reelected 1786. |
| 1787 | Reelected President; sent as delegate to the convention for framing a Federal Constitution. |
| 1788 | Retires from public life. |
| 1790 | April 17, dies. His grave is in the churchyard at Fifth and Arch streets, Philadelphia. Editor.] |
