Before he was a Founding Father, the multifaceted, ever-experimental Benjamin Franklin was a great many other things—from street performer to political cartoonist, and even a middle-aged widow.

The Franklin Institute devotes an entire page on its website to “things Benjamin Franklin never ... that Franklin’s well-known practical inventions—the lightning rod, bifocals, the so ...

Why a film about Benjamin Franklin? David Schmidt ... and won himself international fame in the process. And he invented bifocals and the lightning rod, which are saving time and saving lives ...

or do things worth the writing." Benjamin Franklin did both. Sign up to get updates about the film and future projects from Ken Burns and Florentine Films.