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This edition of Biography takes a look at the remarkable life of Bejamin Franklin. Franklin became a skilled printer while reading widely and developing a writing style at a young age. In 1732, Franklin began compiling and publishing the annual Poor Richard's Almanac. It attracted a large readership. In 1748, his business having expanded and flourished, Franklin retired gaining more time for scientific pursuits. In the early 1740s, he had developed the fuel-efficient Franklin open stove. Later he conducted a series of experiments, described in his Experiments and Observations on Electricity (1751-53), which brought him international recognition as a scientist. In 1752, Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment, demonstrating that lightning is an electrical discharge. A later invention for which Franklin is well-known was the bifocal lens (1760). Franklin represented Pennsylvania at the Albany Congress in 1754 and also pursued diplomatic activities in England, obtaining permission for Pennsylvania to tax the estates of its proprietors, securing repeal of the Stamp Act, and representing the interests of several colonies. In 1776, Franklin went to France to help negotiate treaties of commerce and alliance. He remained and got financial aid for the American Revolution and then helped negotiate a peace treaty with Great Britain. Returning to the U.S. in 1785, Franklin served as a conciliating presence at the Constitutional Convention (1787).