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- Herausgeber: Guiding Beam
- Kategorie: Ratgeber
- Sprache: Englisch
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." For over two centuries, Poor Richard's Almanack has been a cornerstone of American Folklore, packed with timeless wisdom, witty aphorisms, and practical advice that shaped Colonial America. Written by Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father and genius of many trades, this legendary almanac delivers an entertaining yet deeply insightful collection of proverbs, moral guidance, and life lessons that remain just as relevant today. Originally published between 1732 and 1758 under the pseudonym "Poor Richard," Franklin masterfully blends wit and humor with historical insights to create a treasure trove of ethical living, financial advice, and practical knowledge. Whether you seek household tips, weather forecasts, astronomical information, or even astrological insights, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into the mindset of one of history's greatest minds. Inside Poor Richard's Almanack, you'll discover: ✔ Benjamin Franklin's most famous aphorisms and proverbs. ✔ Financial advice that helped lay the foundation for the American Dream ✔ Practical wisdom drawn from Colonial America that still applies today ✔ Historical Context Much more than just an almanack, this book is a roadmap to ethical living, success, and prosperity. Franklin's genius shines through every page, offering invaluable insights that continue to inspire readers worldwide. If you appreciate historical insights, timeless wisdom, and Benjamin Franklin quotations, Poor Richard's Almanack is a must-read. As Ben Franklin says: 'An investment in knowledge pays the best interest'—the smartest investment is in wisdom that pays for itself a hundred times over.
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Seitenzahl: 50
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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First Edition, 2024
Copyright © 2024 by Guiding Beam
Originally Published in 1732, United States.
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Contents
LIFE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Opposite historic Old South Church in Boston, on January 6, 1706, was born Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin was the fifteenth child of Josiah Franklin, whose occupation was that of tallow-chandler or candle-maker. Business was not prosperous, and the Franklin family was reared in very humble circumstances.
As a child, Benjamin hungered for books and knowledge. During the two years that his father was able to send him to school, he showed remarkable aptitude and industry, and rapidly outdistanced his fellow pupils.
The first book which Franklin read was Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. By trading and borrowing, he managed to secure other volumes. His passion for reading was so intense that he attracted the attention of a kind-hearted Boston merchant, who gave the boy access to his well-stocked library. Franklin read only books which could add to his education, and read them with a thoroughness that extracted every bit of useful knowledge.
After leaving school, Franklin was apprenticed to his brother James in the printing trade. His wage was very small, and he had to live most frugally.
James started a newspaper, and Benjamin set type and distributed the sheets. One day, he anonymously contributed some verses and apothegms and was overjoyed to find them accepted and published. When his brother discovered that he was the contributor, an altercation broke out between the two, due principally to the ill temper of James. The quarrel was finally the cause of Benjamin's leaving Boston and going to Philadelphia.
In Philadelphia, Franklin obtained work with Keimer, a printer. His lodgings were found at the house of Mr. Read, with whose pretty daughter, Deborah, he promptly fell in love. Mrs. Read, however, counselled the two to postpone the marriage until Franklin should earn sufficient to maintain his own household. He was but eighteen years old at this time.
Sir William Keith, governor of the province of Pennsylvania, became acquainted with Franklin and offered to set him up in the printing business. Franklin, of course, accepted. At Keith's suggestion, he sailed to England to purchase an up-to-date outfit. Arrived there, he found that Keith was without credit. His beautiful plans went for naught, and he was stranded in England without funds or prospects. It took him several years to work his way back to America.
When he returned, the first news to greet Franklin was the marriage of Deborah Read to another man.
At 22 years of age, Franklin had not made much progress toward the goal of his ambition. But nothing daunted, he applied himself with greater industry, greater self-sacrifice, and greater perseverance. He kept plugging away at his trade of printer and entered into business ventures with other men, all of which proved rapid failures. Finally, he struck out for himself. Coincidently, Deborah Read's husband died, and Franklin took her to wife.
The young couple had to live on a close margin for a few years. When Franklin was 27 years of age, he evolved the idea which opened the road to fame and fortune. This was Poor Richard's Almanack. The first number had a tremendous sale. His homely, trite, common-sense sayings achieved wide popularity, and each succeeding issue found more subscribers than its predecessor. The general recognition and respect gained for Franklin through the Almanack gave him the opportunity to enter public life. This sphere of activity was greatly to his liking. He held important offices and introduced many splendid reforms into the municipal government.
Franklin's pet project was an efficient institution of learning. When he was 37 years old, his plans materialized into the founding of an academy, from which has grown the great University of Pennsylvania.
The scientists of Europe were at this time becoming aware of a mysterious force which they named electricity. Musschenbroeck, a German, came forth with the discovery of the Leyden jar. Franklin immediately devoted himself to a study of electricity. The subject proved so interesting, so full of possibilities, that he sold out his printing business in order to devote his entire effort to the new field. His business, started on nothing, brought the handsome price of $90,000.
When Franklin declared his belief that electricity and lightning were identical, the whole world laughed. He then made his famous kite test and proved his theory. This demonstration gained world recognition for him as a scientist and won him many honors.
The colonies were now passing through the turbulent period preceding the Revolutionary War. Franklin was a foremost figure in public life and became the commissioner of the colonies to England.
The first cause for provocation on the part of the colonies was the Stamp Act, which imposed an enormous tax on deeds, college degrees, and printed matter. England sought to meet the expenses of the French-Indian war by this tax. Franklin's efficient representation and effective pleading secured its repeal in 1766.
