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Benjamin Franklin: The Trending FFOTUS For The Fourth

By Dionne Charlet
Published on: 18:22 PST, Jun 29, 2015

Benjamin Franklin is trending, even with all the focus on the POTUS, the SCOTUS, banning this flag, raising that flag, healthcare, equal rights, monuments, and marriage.

We, the People, simply need some positive guidance now and then. When in doubt, and in debt, many look to Benjamin.

This FFOTUS (Founding Father of the United States) has so much staying power since his birth in 1706, as previously noted by the Inquisitr, he will be celebrating his 239th Independence Day with a bang as he continues in full Techni-Colonial resilience to make his mark on popular culture.

Perhaps it has to do with a rising decline in faith in modern American government. Trust itself is in flux. With monuments and flags targeted for removal, scowling eyes turned toward the presidency, and deficits out of control, an older, more universal, safe and sensible historical hero is needed.

Benjamin Franklin’s quotes, like those posted on Famous Quotes & Authors, are timeless, and they are trending. The sentiments make sense, even more than 300 years after this man’s birth.

“If principle is good for anything, it is worth living up to.”

“Were the offer made true, I would engage to run again, from beginning to end, the same career of life. All I would ask should be the privilege of an author, to correct, in a second edition, certain errors of the first.”

“Nothing is more fatal to health than an overcare of it.”

There is much to be said in misquotes of ol’ Ben, and memes say it all.

The real test of time has passed, as the actual words of this great man have scored three centuries of appeal. His humility reigns, and he has never taken himself too seriously.

https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminFranklinAuthor/photos/a.1410169005919129.1073741830.1410161359253227/1420157304920299/?type=1&theater

He is a bonafide online trend setter. He is the subject of countless books and movies. Then there is the small screen.

Timothy Busfield was cast as Franklin on Season 2 of Sleepy Hollow per IMDb. The show takes some interesting supernatural turns on the historical founding father. For instance, Benjamin’s key used to discover lightning is the key to Purgatory on the show, and Franklin takes on Ichabod Crane as an apprentice, leaving him clues to build a monster to battle the Headless Horseman.

Busfield gave his insights on his character during an interview with ScreenFad.

“Franklin was extremely well read and the editor of a newspaper at a very young age,” said Busfield. “He had to have a lot of knowledge on a lot of different subjects like even medical science, and I think that helps in episode 2 where I have to build this monster.”

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries announced in May that the institution had acquired a copy of Jacques Barbeu-Dubourg’s Petit Code de la raison humaine. Though not written by the founding father, the book was published in 1782 by Franklin during the nine years he lived in France as an ambassador to the U.S., and is one of only four copies of the book known to exist. It is important because it is believed to be the last full-length book Franklin ever printed according to scholars at Penn University.

The Daily Pennsylvanian detailed that there are only about 900 Franklin books remaining worldwide, and Penn University holds more than 330 in its library’s Franklin print collection in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts located in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library.

Franklin’s most famous book, Poor Richard’s Almanack, has been continually quoted since its publish date in 1732. His Drinkers Dictionary is a list of 200 synonyms to describe the state of inebriation.

The words of the great writer and publisher ring true through Twitter.

Mr. Franklin helped to found the University of Pennsylvania in 1749 with his essay, “Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth.”

USHistory.org provided the following statement made by Benjamin himself.

“It has long been regretted as a misfortune to the youth of this province that we have no academy in which they might receive the accomplishment of a regular education.”

The university coat of arms features a dolphin adopted directly from the Franklin family coat of arms.

The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary is an interactive online museum started in 2006 to mark the 300th anniversary of Franklin’s death. The site includes photos, quotes, and trivia.

The man has been the constant face of the $100 bill since they first were minted 100 years ago as verified by Fox News. He is also responsible for the concept of Daylight Savings Time.

Near death, Franklin confided in a friend, “I believe I shall, in some shape or other, always exist.”

He does indeed exist, trending across the World Wide Web in full 15-minutes-of-fame style, right up there with the Hilton heiresses, outshining any combination of GOP hopefuls, keeping well past the Kardashians, self-made by hard work and a life dedicated to the value of learning, with the staying power of a national treasure.

[Photos courtesy of Pennsylvania University, Yana Paskova and Rischgitz/Getty Images]

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