Benjamin Franklin, son of a soap and candle maker, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706. He was the 15th in a family of 17 children. After attending Latin School in Boston for only two years, it had been decided that he would become a printer because of his love of books. In 1726 he established his own printing company and purchased the Pennsylvania Gazette, one of the most important newspapers in the United States. In 1737 he became deputy postmaster of Philadelphia and was a member of the colony's legislature. Franklin was not only a statesman and diplomat, but he was also an inventor, scientist, writer, printer, and publisher. Benjamin Franklin was a genius and contributed a lot to the modern world we live in today. In the 18th century, electricity was a mysterious force, and scientists like Benjamin Franklin began conducting experiments to test its theories. “In ancient times, lightning was believed to be the javelins that the god Jupiter threw at his enemies, and they were called the thunderbolts of Jupiter. In more modern times, lightning was believed to be God's method of punishing people....