Episode Details
Back to Episodes
207 Young Benjamin Franklin
Description
What in the first 40 years of his life made Benjamin Franklin the genius he became?
Benjamin Franklin serves as a great window on to the early American past because as a man of “variety” he pursued many interests: literature, poetry, science, business, philosophy, philanthropy, and politics.
But one aspect of Franklin’s life has gone largely unstudied: his childhood and early life.
Nick Bunker, author of Young Benjamin Franklin: The Birth of Ingenuity, joins us to explore Benjamin Franklin’s early life and how family, childhood, and youthful experiences shaped him as a scientist and diplomat.
Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/207
Sponsor Links
Complementary Episodes
- Episode 086: George Goodwin, Benjamin Franklin in London
- Episode 112: Mary Beth North, The Tea Crisis of 1773
- Episode 160: The Politics of Tea
- Episode 169: Thomas Kidd, The Religious Life of Benjamin Franklin
- Episode 175: Daniel Mark Epstein, The Revolution in Ben Franklin’s House
Helpful Show Links
- Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page
- Join the Ben Franklin's World Community
- Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter
- Ben Franklin's World iOS App
- Ben Franklin's World Android App
*Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices