Becoming Benjamin Franklin

We've asked some of our favorite historians for their number one moment from these 250 years of the United States' History. For this episode, we're honored to welcome Jill Lepore back to the show.How do the life and letters of Jane Franklin, beloved sister of THE Benjamin Frankli ...  Show more

He's one of the most famous serial killers in American history... but how much of H.H Holmes' gruesome crimes were sensationalised by the press at the time?Our guest today is Dr. Harold Schechter, professor at Queen’s College, City University of New York. He is the author of doze ...  Show more

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a scientist, inventor, writer and diplomat. As one of the leading figures of early American history, Franklin helped to draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776, worked to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War in ...

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns tells Elinor Evans about the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin – a man who both loved Britain but became a key figure in American independence, and who was a slave-owner yet later campaigned for abolition. Burns also talks about the chall ...  Show more

George Goodwin discusses the American Founding Father’s years in the British capital, on location at Benjamin Franklin House Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

In 1723, a teenage Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia ready to reinvent himself. He was a penniless apprentice printer with a hunger for knowledge and a burning ambition. Over the next 50 years, he would fashion himself into the most celebrated American of his time.