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For a dude who never finished high school, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) accomplished remarkable things.

Franklin was an author, politician, scientist, inventor, editor, printer, musician, statesman, and diplomat. He not only dabbled in those fields and others, he excelled in them.

Many of Franklin’s accomplishments, you probably know. Others are more obscure. Here is a sampling…

A working class Pennsylvanian and proud of it, Franklin started out as a newspaper editor in Philadelphia. In time, he became co-publisher of the Pennsylvania Chronicle, a leading critic of the British monarchy.

Franklin rose to fame in the Colonies with Poor Richard’s Almanac, which he published from 1732 until 1758.

His scientific achievements were numerous. He was first to suggest the size of an atom, first to understand evaporative cooling, first to track a hurricane, and first to chart the Gulf Stream.

Those accomplishments, as well as the kite and the key thing, where he showed that lightning is the release of stored electricity, brought him international renown.

So did his many inventions, including bifocals, the Franklin stove, the lightning rod, the odometer, and — yikes! — the flexible urinary catheter.

Although Franklin’s inventions could have brought him great riches, he never filed a patent. He believed his work should serve the common good.

He wrote, “As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.”

For many years, Franklin served as the British postmaster for the colonies.

He was one of the founders of the University of Pennsylvania.

He played the violin, the harp, and the guitar, and he composed classical music for string quartets.

He created America’s first library. Late in life, he freed his slaves and became a prominent abolitionist.

Franklin never served as President of the United States, but he was President of Pennsylvania, a post he held from 1785 to 1788.

The Thirteen Virtues

In 1726, at age 20, Franklin created a series of guidelines for personal character development that he called the Thirteen Virtues. Here they are, as listed in his autobiography.

Temperance — Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Silence — Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversations.
Order — Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Resolution — Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Frugality — Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, waste nothing.
Industry — Lose not time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Sincerity — Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; speak accordingly
Justice — Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty. Moderation — Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think you deserve.
Cleanliness — Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation.
Tranquility — Be not disturbed at trifles or accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity — Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
Humility — Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Franklin’s Daily Schedule

Being one of those people (like me) who thrive on regimentation, Franklin followed a strict daily schedule. He put it in writing, of course.

Among the founding fathers, Franklin was a patriot without peer. He was a passionate advocate for the proposed United States, helping to define the emerging nation as a combination of (1) democratic values — education, community, thrift, hard work — and (2) opposition to political and religious authoritarianism.

Historian Henry Steele Commager said Franklin embodied “the virtues of Puritanism without its defects, the illumination of the Enlightenment without its heat.”

The Franklin Alphabet

Being the über-perfectionist and detail-oriented stickler that he was, Franklin was greatly annoyed that English spelling was so difficult and disorderly. And in the 1700s, spelling indeed was a mess. Even more so than today, what people read did not jibe with what they heard.

So, in 1768, Franklin introduced Benjamin Franklin’s Phonetic Alphabet, a reformed alphabet designed to make spelling easier. In it, each letter represented exactly one sound.

Clearly, Franklin had done exhaustive research on the matter. He explained his rationale thusly:

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It is endeavoured to give the Alphabet a more natural Order, beginning first with the simple Sounds form’d by the Breath, with none or very little Help of Tongue, Teeth and Lips, and produc’d chiefly in the Windpipe.

Then coming forward to those form’d by the Root of the Tongue next to the Windpipe;

Then to those form’d more forward by the forepart of the Tongue against the Roof of the Mouth;

Then those form’d still more forward in the Mouth, by the Tip of the Tongue, apply’d first to the Roots of the upper Teeth,

Then to the Ends or Edges of the same Teeth;

Then to those form’d still more forward by the under Lip apply’d to the upper Teeth;

Then to those form’d yet more forward by the upper and under Lip opening to let out the sounding Breath;

And lastly ending with the Shutting up of the Mouth or closing the Lips, while any Vowel is sounding.

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Got that?

Franklin’s alphabet dropped six letters he thought were redundant, and it added six new letters to better represent certain common sounds.

Franklin dropped the letters C, J, Q, W, X, and Y  because their sounds were accounted for by other letters. For example, the two sounds of the letter C (as in cake and city) are handled nicely by the letters K and S.

Further, Franklin added letters to represent the sounds au (as in caught), u (as in run), th (as in this), ng (as in ring), sh (as in she), and th (as in thing).

Franklin’s alphabet used double letters to represent long vowels. For example, the long a sound (as in ape) became aa. The long e sound (as in heed) became ii.

All great men are entitled to one Big Idea that fizzles. In Franklin’s case, it was the phonetic alphabet. In theory, it shined; in practice, it baffled all who saw it.

Consider this revealing example.

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A Letter from Mary Stevenson to Benjamin Franklin in His New Alphabet

FROM MISS MARY STEVENSON TO B. FRANKLIN.

Kensingtyn, 26 Septembyr, 1768.

Diir Syr,

yi hav transkryib’d iur alfabet, &c., huith yi hink myit bi av syrvis tu hoz, hu uih to akuyir an akiuret pronynsiehyn, if hat kuld bi fiks’d; byt yi si meni inkanviiniensis, az uel az difikyltis, hat uuld atend hi brigig iur letyrs and arhagrafi intu kamyn ius. aal avr etimalodhiz uuld be last, kansikuentli ui kuld nat asyrteen hi miinig av meni uyrds; hi distinkhyn, tu, bituiin uyrds av difyrent miinig and similar saund uuld bi iusles, ynles ui livig ryiters pyblih nu iidihyns. In hart yi biliiv ui myst let piipil spel an in heer old ue, and (az ui fyind it iisiiest) du hi seem aurselves.

With ease and with sincerity I can, in the old way, subscribe myself,

Dear Sir,

Your faithful and affectionate servant,

M. S.

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Even Miss Stevenson counseled Franklin to give it up. Ouch.

In the end, Franklin abandoned the proposed alphabet and focused on other matters. A smart move.

Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790. 20,000 people attended his funeral.

Quite the rock star.