Ben came to Philadelphia to be a printer, and he did that. As a printer, he accomplished a lot.
He made the first copperplate printing press in America. As owner and printer of the Pennsylvania Gazette, he printed news about people living in Pennsylvania—something uncommon at that time. When his Gazette became the most important newspaper in the colonies, he hired horseback riders to deliver the paper quickly.
Franklin turned out dozens of essays, articles, and pamphlets. He wrote thousands of letters (to more than 4,000 people!). He also wrote a four-part autobiography and Poor Richard’s Almanack, which was published once a year. It was very popular, and people still treasure copies of it today.
