A brilliant resource to the wise and witty sayings of the "first American", along with numerous entertaining anecdotes about Benjamin Franklin's adventures and misadventures, from his childhood in his brother's Boston printing establishment and his subsequent move to Philadelphia as a youth to his stint as Colonial postmaster general, his work with Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence, and his years as ambassador to the court of Louis XVI in France. This book is for speechmakers, students of history, and lovers of Americana. The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin contains quotations organized by subject; lists of his inventions and innovations, such as newspaper editorials, the Franklin stove, bifocals, daylight saving time, and electroshock treatment; and his insights into the personalities of his contemporaries.