Benjamin Franklin

On this day 226 years ago — July 26, 1784 — Benjamin Franklin considered whether society was in need of a "remedy for luxury" in a letter to his trusted advisor, Benjamin Vaughn. In it, Franklin methodically argued against such a need. The current growing clamor for the regulation of wealth makes Franklin's thoughts on the matter relevant today. Consider President Obama's now infamous off-script muttering that "I do think at a certain point you've made enough money." Many have argued that this statement is emblematic of larger anti-wealth, anti-luxury tendencies in the administration's agenda.

"Who Was Benjamin Franklin?" Dennis Brindell Fradin Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706. He was one of 17 children. Ben was brilliant and ambitious. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence — the foundation of our nation's beliefs. And he was one of the authors of the Constitution — which provided the framework of the United States government. A founding father, Benjamin Franklin is respected for his wisdom. He has made the world a better place.

At least one wag has credited Benjamin Franklin with inventing "the lightning rod, the hoax and the republic." Actor Phil Soinski reinvents Ben Franklin five days a week at the International Printing Museum in Carson, home to one of the world's largest collections of antique printing machinery.

On this day 226 years ago — July 26, 1784 — Benjamin Franklin considered whether society was in need of a "remedy for luxury" in a letter to his trusted advisor, Benjamin Vaughn. In it, Franklin methodically argued against such a need. The current growing clamor for the regulation of wealth makes Franklin's thoughts on the matter relevant today. Consider President Obama's now infamous off-script muttering that "I do think at a certain point you've made enough money." Many have argued that this statement is emblematic of larger anti-wealth, anti-luxury tendencies in the administration's agenda.

A federal court has found a San Gabriel man guilty of mutilating and stealing two rare books written and printed by Benjamin Franklin. William Witherell, 39, was convicted in Philadelphia on two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property by U.S. District Judge J. William Ditter Jr.

He fretted about his weight, obsessed over work, was a guru of self-actualization and a devotee of high tech, had a thing about his image, knew how to have a good time and could spin on any subject. He, of course, is Ben Franklin, dubbed the "Hot Founding Father" by Rolling Stone magazine. "Thomas Jefferson may have had his own movie and George Washington may have his own magazine, but they've got nothing on Ben Franklin," Rolling Stone wrote.

"I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. . . . He is generally poor and often very lousy. The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of North America." Do you know who Franklin, who lived from 1706 to 1790, was? a. A writer b. A printer c. A scientist d. An inventor e. The creator of "Poor Richard's Almanac" f. All of the above Answer: f

Of all the Founders, Benjamin Franklin is the easiest to imagine transposed to the present day. Unlike planters George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Franklin was a city boy; Boston-born, Philadelphia-adopted and London-polished, he would adapt readily to the urbanism of the 21st century.

Benjamin Franklin was a passionate writer, especially in the cause of the democracy he helped found, but even such a prolific man of letters may have had second thoughts about posting too-hasty words, according to an exhibition for the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth. "Look upon your hands! They are stained with the Blood of your Relations!" Franklin wrote indignantly to an old English friend at the outbreak of the American Revolution.

It is not an unusual sight in Glendale: a bespectacled, jovial-looking fellow shares a park bench with a couple of pigeons. But this fellow is Benjamin Franklin, cast in bronze. Clutched in his hand is the U.S. Constitution, which he helped write. The pigeons, too, are frozen in a permanent pose. The scene in a brick-paved plaza at 135 N. Brand Blvd. was unveiled last weekend as the city's first publicly owned art in the downtown redevelopment zone.

Paul M. Zall, a research scholar at the Huntington Library in San Marino and a professor at Cal State L.A. who examined the lives and humor of early American presidents and leaders, often using their own words, has died. He was 87. Zall died Dec. 16 of natural causes at his home in South Pasadena, said his son Andy. "No one at the Huntington was more helpful to me," said Ronald C. White Jr., a fellow at the library. White, who has written three books about President Lincoln, including 2009's "A. Lincoln: A Biography," said Zall over the years shared with him notes and expertise, an example of his "generosity of spirit.

Alan Houston, a political science professor at UC San Diego, had come to the end of a trip to London to research a book about Benjamin Franklin. He thought he might spend the day having fun with friends, but decided to make one more visit to the British Library. In his last request for documents, he stumbled on something unexpected: a letter written by Franklin and copied by a British literary figure named Thomas Birch. Houston had never seen it. Not believing his eyes, he looked for more.

When it comes to literary mysteries, the death of Benjamin Franklin's library is not exactly a whodunit. Scholars already know the collection was killed by his grandson, William Temple Franklin, who inherited most of the books and sold them for cash. The real crime, historians say, is that there's no surviving inventory of the 4,276 volumes -- a list that could provide valuable insight into Franklin's life.

At the Smithsonian, they're planning a tribute to his statesmanship. In London, an exhibition hails his medical contributions. But at McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia, they know best how to honor Benjamin Franklin on his 300th birthday: with a celebratory toast. A beer for Ben? "He was a very jovial fellow who would meet at the taverns, discussing the latest John Locke book or scientific breakthrough over a nice pint of beer," says McGillin's owner, Chris Mullins.

"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" spends a lot of time on shelves and nightstands waiting to be read: It's considered not only a good tale but also a key to the American character. John Rhodehamel, a curator of historical manuscripts at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens -- where the original handwritten edition, partly unbound, recently went on display -- says it's also been misunderstood. "It's been taken by many as a how-to-guide to get rich," he says.

FOUNDING father Benjamin Franklin always enjoyed a good party, but here's one that the celebrated raconteur will miss: his 300th birthday blowout in Philadelphia. No matter. An impersonator will stand in. The life of the 18th century statesman, inventor and writer is being celebrated this year and next with dozens of exhibits, performances, tours and more in the City of Brotherly Love and surrounding spots.

The English novelist and critic D.H. Lawrence didn't like Benjamin Franklin. "I haven't got over those Poor Richard tags yet," he wrote. "I still rankle with them. They are thorns in young flesh." Mark Twain spoke more satirically than Lawrence, but no more charitably, in describing his own encounter with Franklin. "His simplest acts ... were contrived with a view to their being held up for the emulation of boys forever--boys who might otherwise have been happy....

Benjamin Franklin had this to say about "leaks": "Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." RAMONA KNAUS Escondido

Benjamin Franklin was a passionate writer, especially in the cause of the democracy he helped found, but even such a prolific man of letters may have had second thoughts about posting too-hasty words, according to an exhibition for the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth. "Look upon your hands! They are stained with the Blood of your Relations!" Franklin wrote indignantly to an old English friend at the outbreak of the American Revolution.