Happy Birthday, Ben Franklin!

[82Rigger]

Happy 300th birthday, Dr. Franklin!

Jan 17, 1706 - Jan 17, 2006

[revwardoc]

Happy Birthday to (IMHO) the best of the Founding Fathers! Printer, Author, Statesman, Politician, Scientist,...and a helluva ladies man! And he had the good sense to be born in Massachusetts. Too bad he's buried in Philly, but we all make mistakes.

If you're ever in Philly, go to the Christ Church Burial Ground to see his grave. It's the only cemetary I've ever seen with a souvenier stand.

[82Rigger]

Here's Franklin's gravesite at Christ Church in Philadelphia. He lies directly across the street from the Philadelphia Mint.

There used to be a wall here along the sidewalk, but his grave became so popular that they replaced this section of wall with a wrought iron gate.

Now visitors can commune with ol' Ben 24/7!

[82Rigger]

Here's a close-up shot of the grave.

Note all the pennies on the slab.

Legend has it that if you toss a penny through the gate while walking and it stays on the marble slab, you will have good luck.

Wonder what ol' Ben ("a penny saved is a penny earned") would've thought about this custom.

Maybe ummm....."a penny tossed is a penny lost"?

[Jerry D]

Happy Birthday Ben you don't look a day over 299

[82Rigger]

The inscription on the slab reads simply:




BENJAMIN

AND } FRANKLIN

DEBORAH


1790



As a young man in 1728, Franklin had composed his own mock epitaph.

I kinda like his.


The Body of
B. Franklin
Printer;
Like the Cover of an old Book,
Its Contents torn out,
And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,
Lies here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be wholly lost:
For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more,
In a new & more perfect Edition,
Corrected and Amended
By the Author.

[Andy]

When he was Ambassador to France, did you know, one of his good friends was the Marquise de Sade. Old Ben was more than a little kinky. 50 year olds ?dating? 13 year olds is a bit much. Then again, nobody is perfect.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[82Rigger]

Andy,

Those were different times and customs.

Hell, doin' "wacky tobacky" may have been no big deal back then. I dunno.

[82Rigger]

Dr. Franklin was a VERY busy man.

[revwardoc]

Andy, when Ben was Ambassador to France, he was in his 70's! There's a story Ben himself wrote about his aledged affairs d'amour in France: his favorite method of transportation, due to the ravages of gout, was a sedan chair carried by four strong young men. If they did happen to meet a fair, young, and willing, lass, not only would he (Ben) be 5th in line, but by the time it got around to him, he would forget why he was there!

However, in his younger years, if it walked, crawled, flew, or slithered, and had a pulse, Ben was there! OK, maybe it didn't have to have a pulse.