Anybody who has strolled the streets of Old City in Philadelphia, as I did this past Saturday with the fam, knows that Ben Franklin is, quite literally and figuratively (…and philosophically, and visually– see above…) the poster child of this historic municipality.
He was kind of a big deal in his day.
Now, in Philadelphia, you can see…
- Where Franklin did his business of helping to draft the Declaration of Independence
- Where Franklin did his business of starting the first volunteer fire company; inventing bifocals, the lightning rod, Franklin stove, and more; and ultimately becoming among the wealthiest individuals in American history
- And even where Franklin did his *ahem* business
Yes, Franklin is omnipresent in the City of Franklinly Love, well over 200 years after his passing.
Heck, even the 76ers’ mascot is named Franklin the Dog. (Side note, I’m still partial to Big Shot.)
It’s difficult to fathom how influential he must have been during his lifetime since he impacted such a wide swath of humanity and lived at a time when so much was changing in the world.
Dare I say that Franklin didn’t just catch lightning in a bottle.
As for me, I hope that I can have just a sliver of influence that he has had.
I don’t think a blog alone will quite cut it, however.
But on second thought, let’s not forget that Franklin did get his business start in the publishing field…
Dangling Twine 