Born: January 17 [Jan. 6, Old Style], 1706

Died: April 17, 1790

    Benjamin Franklin was many things:（指很多头衔） a printer, writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, civic（公民的） leader, and diplomat.（外交家）

    As a scientist, he is best known for his experiments with electricity. As a writer, he is known for Poor Richard's Almanac（历书） and his autobiography. He was the oldest figure of the American Revolution. Franklin also was the only person to sign the three documents that established the United States: the Declaration of Independence,（独立宣言） the peace treaty with Britain （对英和平条约）that ended the Revolutionary War, and the Constitution.