9781422277591

His busy printing and publishing shop left him little time for a social life. If he did have any spare time, Franklin liked to spend it in the company of thoughtful, intelligent people. In 1727 he formed a group that met on a regular basis for a drink or a meal, when they would discuss topics of mutual interest late into the night. Franklin nicknamed this club the Junto— from the Spanish word junta , meaning “assembly.” Franklin’s growing interest in science and his Junto discussions convinced him that there was a need for all people interested in science to exchange ideas, opinions, and the results of their experiments. In Europe at this time, science was becoming popular, but Franklin saw that its progress

was being slowed by the superstitions surrounding natural phenomena, as well as by the vanity of a few scientists who valued their own reputations more than the growth of scientific knowledge. In 1731 Franklin showed his concern for making knowledge freely available when he founded the first subscription library in Philadelphia. At the time most people in the American colonies had little access to books. There were no public libraries. A copy of Poor Richard’s Almanack from 1748. Franklin began publishing the Almanack annually in 1733; the final edition was printed in 1758.

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