Some birthdays are worth adding to a blog focused on American history.

Benjamin Franklin's is one. In fact, it's a nationally recognized day. So I thought it was a perfect time to blend a bit of "this day in history" (one of my favorite themes for blog posts) along with celebrating the man himself, blogger-style. So you'll get tidbits with links to dig deeper, an a-ha moment or two and, of course, primary-sourced words from history.

Let's go!

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My view while writing this post about Ben Franklin's birthday.

Lesser-known accomplishments and factoids

When it comes to Benjamin Franklin, of course we all think of the lightning rod, printing, and his roles both securing an alliance with France during the American Revolutionary War and signing the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Not surprisingly, he had a lifetime of contributions and experiences he brought to our American history. (and global history!)

Some bits to dig deeper on- with links to get you there:

• In 1775, Congress established the U.S. Postal Service and Franklin was made postmaster General. Read more here. I added this bit to another post on this blog- one sharing "this day in history" for July 26th!
• Who started the first volunteer fire department in the United States? Yes, it was Franklin. Click here for details.
• Franklin invented the flexible catheter. You can be sure I'll be asking my friend Margaret in the Colonial Williamsburg's (CW's) Apothecary Shop about this. There's a reason CW is currently the largest living history museum in the world and the knowledge housed in the trade shops is one undoubtedly a contributing factor. Read more on the Franklin Institute's site by clicking here.
• Women in France began wearing wigs inspired by his famous fur cap. Read more here from our U.S. Government's "summary" of Franklin the diplomat.
• Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird, not the bald eagle! It's true. The eagle was "lazy" in Franklin's eyes. Read about the controversy here.

Source: National Wildlife Federation

January 17th as "notable," beyond Benjamin Franklin

1899- Al Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Eventually he made his was to the streets of Chicago and became infamous, dominating organized crime during the Prohibition era. At some point, being Chicago-born, I may have to do more digging into this aspect of American history.

Also sharing Franklin's birthday: actress Betty White in 1922 and "the greatest of all time," boxer Muhammed Ali in 1942.

1916- The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) was formed.

For my readers who love golf, did you know that January 17th is the day golf was changed forever in America? It all began by the head of Wanamaker's department store at a luncheon in New York City.

Click here to read more.

1953- Corvette unveiled as a "dream car" by General Motors (GM).

Having spent the majority of my life in Michigan, the January tradition of the Detroit Auto Show is familiar to me. In 1953, GM's team made the trek from Flint, Michigan to New York's Waldorf Astoria to bring the corvette to Americans and kick off a new obsession. As an inventor and science-man, what would Franklin have thought of the innovation?

Click here to read about the Corvette's history.

Where to find history related to Benjamin Franklin.

Listen and read about him:

• Let's Be Frank, a podcast by the talented historian and interpreter who portrays James Madison at CW. He's dived deep into the work of Franklin and this podcast is a treasure trove of early American history.
• Founding Gardeners by Andrea Wulf. It was actually Bryan Austin who initially recommended this book to me while we were chatting at Master Farmer Ed Schultz' domain, CW's Ewing Field. And multiple historians have mentioned it since.

Read his words:

• Founders Archives online. Click here to go directly to a filtered search of their (currently) over 4000 entries transcribed.
• His autobiography (memoirs!) and other writings can be found on Amazon. Click here to purchase it.

Advice on authenticity, from Benjamin Franklin

Closing note from history.

Today, I take a different route on ending my blog post. I'm dropping the list of Benjamin Franklin's family birthdays in honor of honoring January 17th as his!

For the details, with notes and citations on Founders Archives, click here.

List of Franklin Birthdays, [1759]

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There is a huge practical disclaimer to the content on this blog, which is my way of sharing my excitement and basically journaling online.

1) I am not a historian nor an expert. I will let you know I’m relaying the information as I understand and interpret it. The employees of Colonial Williamsburg base their presentations, work, and responses on historical documents and mainly primary sources.

2) I will update for accuracy as history is constant learning. If you have a question about accuracy, please ask me! I will get the answer from the best source I can find.

3) Photo credit to me, Daphne Reznik, for all photos in this post, unless otherwise credited! All photos are personal photos taken in public access locations or with specific permission.