今年1月17日,是美国杰出政治活动家、科学家、经济学家本杰明·富兰克林诞生250周年纪念日,他是1956年世界和平理事会号召纪念的世界十大文化名人之一。富兰克林出生在一个贫苦的家庭里。父亲原来是染羊毛的,在1682年因为躲避宗教迫害由英国移居到北美洲波士顿,政行做肥皂和腊烛。因为家里穷,富兰克林幼年时候没有受到多少学校教育,只读了两年书。他12岁时便开始在印刷所里当学徒,到40岁,一直作印刷出版工作。以后,他又致力于研究自然科学,而对电学尤感兴趣。在前后68年中,他陆续发表了各方面的著作。 January 17 this year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin, a prominent U.S. political activist, scientist and economist. He was one of the ten major cultural celebrities in the world who was called to commemorate the 1956 World Peace Council. Franklin was born in a poor family. His father was originally dyed of wool, and in 1682 immigrants from the United Kingdom to North America, Boston, for avoiding religious persecution, politicians made soap and wax candles. Because of her poor family, Franklin did not receive much schooling at her childhood, reading only two years. When he was 12 years old, he began to work as an apprentice in the printing house and was 40 when he was a printing and publishing workman. Later, he devoted himself to studying the natural sciences, but he was especially interested in electricity. In the past 68 years, he published a series of books in various fields.