The Strange Story of Silence Dogood

By Jody Dyer
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.”
Benjamin Franklin – 1738
Poor Richard’s Almanac
Benjamin Franklin is perhaps my favorite Founding Father. In the annals of U.S. History, there are few characters who were more interesting and few who were more important to the American cause than Franklin. Known for his wit and wisdom, he was a true polymath – a creative writer, printer, publisher, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, and political philosopher. Without his efforts to procure the help and support of France during our Revolution, we might still be under the rule of the bully British. Franklin’s contributions to American life are almost too numerous to mention.
Franklin was the only Founding Father to sign all three of our nation’s most foundational documents – the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, and the U.S. Constitution. His genius and productivity as a scientist and inventor is almost unparalleled. Among his creations were the lightening rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a flexible catheter, swim fins, an improved streetlamp, the odometer, and the glass armonica, a musical instrument made of spinning glass bowls. Franklin founded the U.S. Postal Service, the first public library, and the first fire department.
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