Benjamin Franklin’s notable accomplishments occurred early and late in his life. He established the first public library at age 25 and the first official fire department at age 29. He was 70 when he signed the Declaration of Independence, the oldest Founding Father. In the intervening decades, he was a printer and publisher, shopkeeper, author (Poor Richard’s Almanac), inventor (he designed a heat-efficient stove and bifocals), scientist (experimenting with electricity), and diplomat. He died in 1790 at age 94. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
Benjamin Franklin left a mark from his 20s to his 90s
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
