Benjamin Franklin IQ - How intelligent is Benjamin Franklin?

Although he is best known for his inventions and his role in the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin was also a leading scientific thinker of his time. He made important contributions to our understanding of electricity and thermodynamics, and he also did groundbreaking work on population dynamics. But what was Franklin's IQ? Unfortunately, we'll never know for sure, as there is no record of him ever taking an intelligence test. However, some experts have estimated that his IQ was somewhere between 160 and 190 - which would make him one of the smartest people alive today!

What is the IQ of Benjamin Franklin?

There is no definitive answer to this question as IQ tests were not developed until after Franklin's death. However, based on his accomplishments and writings, many experts believe that Franklin had a very high IQ. He was a prolific inventor and writer, and he made major contributions to science, politics, and philosophy. He was also highly respected by his peers for his intelligence and wisdom.

Benjamin Franklin - family and life

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a tallow chandler, a maker of candles and soap. His mother, Abiah Folger, was the second wife of Josiah and came from a family of prosperous merchants. Benjamin was the fifteenth child of his father’s seventeen children, and the tenth child of his mother’s eleven children. Growing up in such a large family was difficult for young Benjamin. His parents could not afford to send him to school and so he only had two years of formal education. Instead, he was apprenticed to his brother James, a printer, at the age of twelve. At seventeen, Benjamin ran away from home to escape his apprenticeship and went to Philadelphia. There he found work as a printer and soon saved enough money to buy his own printing shop. He also began writing articles for a local newspaper under the pseudonym “Silence Dogood.” In 1730, he married Deborah Read and they had two sons and a daughter together. Franklin was always interested in science and invention and over the course of his life he created many things, including the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove. He also helped found the American Philosophical Society and the University of Pennsylvania. In 1776, he was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and later that same year he was sent to France as a diplomat. He returned to America in 1785 and died four years later on April 17, 1790.

Benjamin Franklin - career and successes

Franklin's professional life began as a printer, which he was apprenticed to at the age of 12. He became a master printer in 1706 and set up his own printing shop in Philadelphia in 1723. In 1731, he started publishing "The Pennsylvania Gazette", which soon became the most successful newspaper in the colonies. In 1732, he founded the first public library in Philadelphia. In 1743, he helped to found the American Philosophical Society. In 1751, he was appointed as Postmaster General for the colonies. He also served as a diplomat, helping to negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the American Revolutionary War. Franklin was a prolific inventor and scientist, and is credited with the inventions of the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among others. He also made important scientific discoveries in the fields of electricity and thermodynamics. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.