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Benjamin Franklin was one of the greatest diplomats of all time. He signed all four documents that led up to the creation of the United States. Beyond his mastery of diplomacy, Ben Franklin was also a world famous scientist. He is best known for his kite experiment (Benjamin). Ben Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. He was the fifteenth child of seventeen to a candlemaker, Josiah Franklin. As a boy he attended school for only a mere two years, where he excelled in writing. He had no interest in taking up his fathers trade, candlemaking. Ben’s real love, beyond books, was ships and the water. He was an excellent swimmer, partly due to swimming aids he had created for himself, which are considered the forerunners for today’s swimming gear. Fearing that he might run away to the sea, Benjamin’s father apprenticed Ben to his older brother, James, who was a printer (Donovan 12-17). Benjamin was eager to write for his brothers newspaper, but he knew that he, a young boy, had little or no chance of getting something published. He submitted an article to the paper under the pen name of Silence Dogood. The article was printed soon after. Benjamin thrived on the idea that people all over town were not on