Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk Street, in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706, and baptized at Old South Meeting House. He was one of seventeen children born to Josiah Franklin, and one of ten born by Josiah's second wife, Abiah Folger; the

Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky, by Benjamin West, c. 1816, Philadelphia Museum of Art Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky is a c. 1816 painting by Benjamin West depicting the American founding father, Benjamin Franklin ,

Benjamin Franklin, American printer and publisher, author, inventor and scientist, and diplomat. One of the foremost of the American Founding Fathers, he helped draft the Declaration of Independence. He also made important contributions to science, especi