
Franklin’s Endlessly Quotable Poor Richard’s Almanack
Clip: Episode 1 | 4m 37sVideo has Closed Captions
Franklin’s popular "Poor Richard’s Almanack" offered an enduring brand of American humor.
From 1733 to 1757, Franklin published Poor Richard’s Almanack, an annual bestseller in the colonies. In addition to weather predictions and astronomical observations, his almanac was notable for including aphorisms that combined wisdom with humor, philosophy with word play—an early example of a homespun American writing style that has continued through the generations.
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Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by David M. Rubenstein. Major funding was...

Franklin’s Endlessly Quotable Poor Richard’s Almanack
Clip: Episode 1 | 4m 37sVideo has Closed Captions
From 1733 to 1757, Franklin published Poor Richard’s Almanack, an annual bestseller in the colonies. In addition to weather predictions and astronomical observations, his almanac was notable for including aphorisms that combined wisdom with humor, philosophy with word play—an early example of a homespun American writing style that has continued through the generations.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by David M. Rubenstein. Major funding was...



























