28 moments

1. Birth on Milk Street

   1706-01-17 · Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts Bay, English America

   

   Franklin was born in Boston, beginning a life that would link colonial America, Britain, and France. Coordinate represents the documented Milk Street birthplace area.

2. Move to Philadelphia

   1723-01-01 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British America

   

   At seventeen, Franklin left Boston and began his independent career in Philadelphia’s printing trade. Coordinate represents central colonial Philadelphia.

3. Journeyman printer in London

   1724-01-01 · London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

   

   Franklin worked in London as a journeyman printer during his first extended residence in Britain. Coordinate is Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great, Smithfield, where the Wikipedia biography places his printer’s shop.

4. Junto founded

   1727-01-01 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British America

   

   Franklin founded the Junto, a Philadelphia discussion group that became a seedbed for civic initiatives. Coordinate represents central colonial Philadelphia.

5. Pennsylvania Gazette publisher

   1729-01-01 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British America

   

   Franklin became publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette, establishing the newspaper platform central to his Philadelphia career. Coordinate represents central colonial Philadelphia; the quoted source does not identify the printing-house site.

6. College planning meeting

   1753-06-01 · Stratford, Connecticut, British America

   

   Franklin met Samuel Johnson and William Smith to plan a new model of American higher education. Coordinate represents Stratford; the precise meeting site is not identified.

7. Albany Congress opening

   1754-06-19 · Albany Court House, Albany, Province of New York, British America

   

   As a Pennsylvania commissioner, Franklin attended the opening of the Albany Congress, where intercolonial cooperation and an Albany Plan of Union were debated. The preceding commissioner list names Benjamin Franklin for Pennsylvania; coordinate represents the historic Albany courthouse area.

8. London colonial agency

   1757-01-01 · London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

   

   Franklin began a five-year London mission as Pennsylvania’s colonial agent, seeking to curb the Penn proprietors’ political influence. Coordinate is Craven Street, the London residence documented for his missions.

9. Visit to Edinburgh

   1759-01-01 · Edinburgh, Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain

   

   Franklin visited Edinburgh with his son during one of his British stays. Coordinate represents central Edinburgh.

10. Return to Philadelphia

    1762-01-01 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British America

    

    Franklin returned to Philadelphia after his first long colonial-agency residence in London. Coordinate represents central colonial Philadelphia.

11. Second London mission

    1764-01-01 · Craven Street, London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

    

    Franklin went again to London with Pennsylvania’s petition for royal government and remained an American colonial agent through 1775. Coordinate is Benjamin Franklin House on Craven Street, where he lodged during his London missions.

12. Visit to Paris

    1767-09-01 · Paris, Kingdom of France

    

    Franklin visited Paris while based in Britain and was received by influential French scientists, politicians, and Louis XV. Coordinate represents central Paris; the source does not specify a venue.

13. Parliamentary visit in Dublin

    1771-01-01 · Dublin, Kingdom of Ireland

    

    On his Irish tour, Franklin was invited to sit with members of the Irish Parliament in Dublin. Coordinate represents the former Irish Parliament House area at College Green.

14. Stay in Edinburgh

    1771-01-01 · Edinburgh, Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain

    

    Franklin stayed for three weeks with David Hume in Edinburgh during his Scottish journey. Coordinate represents central Edinburgh; Hume’s precise residence is not specified.

15. Stay in Leeds

    1771-01-01 · Leeds, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

    

    During an English tour, Franklin stayed with Joseph Priestley in Leeds. Coordinate represents central Leeds; Priestley’s exact lodging is not specified.

16. Stay in Lichfield

    1771-01-01 · Lichfield, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

    

    Franklin stayed with Erasmus Darwin in Lichfield during his tour of England. Coordinate represents central Lichfield; the exact residence is not specified.

17. Stay in Manchester

    1771-01-01 · Manchester, England, Kingdom of Great Britain

    

    During his 1771 tour of England, Franklin stayed with Thomas Percival in Manchester. Coordinate represents central Manchester; the exact residence is not specified.

18. Stay near Stirling

    1771-01-01 · Stirling, Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain

    

    Franklin spent five days with Lord Kames near Stirling while touring Scotland. Coordinate represents Stirling because the cited source gives only a location near the town.

19. Return from Britain

    1775-05-05 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British America

    

    Franklin returned to Philadelphia amid the opening phase of the American Revolution and soon became a Pennsylvania delegate to the Second Continental Congress. Coordinate represents central colonial Philadelphia.

20. Declaration committee

    1776-06-01 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    Franklin served on the committee charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence while Congress met in Philadelphia. The same Library of Congress chronology identifies Congress as meeting in Philadelphia; coordinate is Independence Hall.

21. American commissioner in Passy

    1776-12-01 · Passy, Paris, Kingdom of France

    

    Franklin arrived in France as an American commissioner and lived in Passy, directing diplomacy for the United States. Date reflects the Library of Congress chronology stating that he went to France in October 1776 and arrived in December; coordinate represents Passy.

22. Treaties with France

    1778-02-06 · Paris, Kingdom of France

    

    While resident in the Paris area as a United States commissioner, Franklin signed the Franco-American treaties of alliance and commerce. The source establishes the act and date; coordinate represents Paris because the cited timeline does not identify the signing venue.

23. Hydrogen-balloon flight witness

    1783-08-27 · Champ de Mars, Paris, Kingdom of France

    

    Franklin witnessed the first hydrogen-balloon flight, a major public scientific spectacle in Paris. Wikipedia identifies the ascent point as the Champ de Mars.

24. Manned balloon launch

    1783-12-01 · Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, Kingdom of France

    

    Franklin attended the launch of a manned hydrogen balloon as an honored guest in the Tuileries enclosure. The cited text states that the balloon took off from the Jardin des Tuileries.

25. Meeting with Mirabeau

    1784-07-01 · Paris, Kingdom of France

    

    Franklin met Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, and provided material used in Mirabeau’s critique of the Society of the Cincinnati. Coordinate represents central Paris; the precise meeting place is not stated.

26. Arrival home in Philadelphia

    1785-09-01 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    After leaving France, Franklin arrived back in Philadelphia, where he resumed public service in Pennsylvania. Coordinate represents central Philadelphia.

27. Constitutional Convention

    1787-05-01 · Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    Franklin represented Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Coordinate is Independence Hall, then the Pennsylvania State House, convention venue.

28. Death in Philadelphia

    1790-04-17 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    Franklin died in Philadelphia at age eighty-four; he was subsequently interred in Christ Church Burial Ground. Coordinate represents the Franklin home area in central Philadelphia; the cited source does not identify his exact death room.