Ben Franklin's World

Arrr, so ye like pirates do ye? Did ye know that as much as 33% of pirate crews were made up of captured seamen, not pirates? We’ll be talking about the “Golden Age” of pirates in this here episode of Ben Franklin’s World with historian and pirate expert Gregory N. Flemming, author of the new book At the Point of a Cutlass: The Pirate Capture, Bold Escape, and Lonely Exile of Philip Ashton.  Show...

You likely know the names of George and Martha Washington, John and Abigail Adams, and James and Dolley Madison, as the names of a few of the founding mothers and fathers of the United States.  You may have heard of some of their deeds and political accomplishments. But did you know that all of these couples endured tragic and sometimes frequent episodes with illness and disease? Do you know what...

Did you know that most biographies about the founders of the United States reveal more about the Americans who wrote the biographies than about the true character of the founders themselves? Thomas A. Foster, Professor of History at DePaul University, joins us to discuss his latest book Sex and the Founding Fathers: The American Quest for a Relatable Past, an exploration of how Americans have imag...

Benjamin Franklin founded the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731. Today, you can visit his library and its amazing collections, which begs the question: How has the Library Company managed to stay open, and remain relevant, for over 283 years? Richard S. Newman, Director of the Library Company of Philadelphia discusses past and present efforts of the Library Company to serve the public at lar...

Have you ever walked through a museum and wondered why its staff chose to feature the artifacts you saw? Cornelia King, Chief of Reference at the Library Company of Philadelphia discusses “That’s So Gay: Outing Early America,” an exhibition that she curated for the Library Company. In addition to providing us with information about the history of gay men and women in early America, Connie gives us...

Dd you know that Ben Franklin founded the first successful lending library in North America? With James N. Green, Librarian at the Library Company of Philadelphia, we explores the role Franklin played in the founding of the Library Company of Philadelphia, the history of libraries in colonial North America, and the Junto, Franklin’s sociability and improvement club for Philadelphia tradesmen. Show...

Host Liz Covart welcomes you to Ben Franklin's World: A Podcast About Early American History. Liz describes the show and reveals what what you can expect to discover in future episodes.  Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/000 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices