History Creator / BenjaminFranklin

* Appears in the HBO miniseries ''UsefulNotes/JohnAdams'', where he is generally played as Adams' foil: witty, popular and sly, in comparison to Adams' earnest and blunt firebrand.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsGame'', Benjamin Franklin attacks the heroes in heaven with a key that shoots lightning.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Game'', Benjamin Franklin attacks the heroes in heaven with a key that shoots lightning.

* ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'' allows you to skate as a Ben Franklin impersonator (known only as "Ben Franklin"). His unique trick is the Franklin Grind, which has the skater be pulled along the rail by a kite (with a key tied to it, of course) as a thunderstorm sound effect plays.

* ''Webcomic/HarkAVagrant'': In the "Founding Fathers" comics Ben is the only member to not only be alright with modern society, but [[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=372 activley]] enjoy it and participate.

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706[[labelnote:†]] [January 6, 1705/6 as he would have known it under the old style Julian Calendar still in use during his early life; the Colonies adopted the Gregorian New Style calendar in 1752][[/labelnote]] – April 17, 1790) was [[RenaissanceMan a printer, author, scientist, musician, inventor, diplomat]], [[ReallyGetsAround ladies']] [[KavorkaMan man]], revolutionary, and one of the coolest and most fascinating people in American history. Managed to make it onto UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates hundred dollar bill ([[AndZoidberg and the 50-cent piece from 1948 to 1963]]) without being UsefulNotes/{{The President|s}}. Invented bifocal lenses, the Franklin stove, and the lightning rod, after proving that lightning was just electricity rather than the wrath of an angry god. If you ever take a tour anywhere in Philadelphia's historical district, you will learn that he invented pretty much everything. Even TheInternet. He's probably the most famous person in American history to the rest of the world.

[[Film/TheAvengers2012 Genius, millionaire, playboy, philanthropist]]. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the [[Franchise/IronMan Tony Stark]] of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution.

His writings are still widely read today. Among them: his autobigraphy, and many of his letters, including one addressed to [[SophisticatedAsHell The Royal Academy of]] [[ToiletHumor Farting]]. He wasn't just ahead of his time as an inventor either: his "The Speech of Polly Baker" called out the DoubleStandard of the day in punishing women who bore illegitimate children but doing nothing to the men who fathered them, he was an abolitionist, and opened one of the first free libraries in the colonies. He also, in his will, left bequests to his beloved cities of Boston (where he was born) and Philadelphia (his adopted home) that were still funding the cities into the 1990's, but he was ''not'' a President.[[note]][[ExactWords Of the United States, at least.]] He ''was'' President (basically Governor, but his formal title was President) of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788. He was also president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia in 1751, which later became the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania,[[/note]] and he did not write the Declaration of Independence (although he did edit it), and he didn't found the Ben Franklin dime store chain. As a consolation, he is the only person whose signature appears on all three founding documents of the United States of America – the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution, as well as the treaty allying UsefulNotes/{{France}} with the United States.

His writings are still widely read today. Among them: his autobigraphy, and many of his letters, including one addressed to [[SophisticatedAsHell The Royal Academy of]] [[ToiletHumor Farting]]. He wasn't just ahead of his time as an inventor either: his "The Speech of Polly Baker" called out the DoubleStandard of the day in punishing women who bore illegitimate children but doing nothing to the men who fathered them, he was an abolitionist, and opened one of the first free libraries in the colonies. He also, in his will, left bequests to his beloved cities of Boston (where he was born) and Philadelphia (his adopted home) that were still funding the cities into the 1990's, but he was ''not'' a President.[[note]][[ExactWords Of the United States, at least.]] He ''was'' President (basically Governor, but his formal title was President) of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788. He was also president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia in 1751, which later became the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania.[[/note]] And he did not write the Declaration of Independence (although he did edit it), and he didn't found the Ben Franklin dime store chain. As a consolation, he is the only person whose signature appears on all three founding documents of the United States of America – the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution, as well as the treaty allying UsefulNotes/{{France}} with the United States.

His writings are still widely read today. Among them: his autobigraphy, and many of his letters, including one addressed to [[SophisticatedAsHell The Royal Academy of]] [[ToiletHumor Farting]]. He wasn't just ahead of his time as an inventor either: his "The Speech of Polly Baker" called out the DoubleStandard of the day in punishing women who bore illegitimate children but doing nothing to the men who fathered them, he was an abolitionist, and opened one of the first free libraries in the colonies. He also, in his will, left bequests to his beloved cities of Boston (where he was born) and Philadelphia (his adopted home) that were still funding the cities into the 1990's, but he was ''not'' a President.[[note]][[ExactWords Of the United States, at least.]] He ''was'' President (basically Governor, but his formal title was President) of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788. He was also president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia in 1751, which later became the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania.[[/note]] And he did not write the Declaration of Independence (although he did edit it). And he didn't found the Ben Franklin dime store chain. As a consolation, he is the only person whose signature appears on all three founding documents of the United States of America – the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution, as well as the treaty allying UsefulNotes/{{France}} with the United States.

His writings are still widely read today. Among them: his autobigraphy, and many of his letters, including one addressed to [[SophisticatedAsHell The Royal Academy of]] [[ToiletHumor Farting]]. He wasn't just ahead of his time as an inventor either: his "The Speech of Polly Baker" called out the DoubleStandard of the day in punishing women who bore illegitimate children but doing nothing to the men who fathered them, he was an abolitionist, and opened one of the first free libraries in the colonies. He also, in his will, left bequests to his beloved cities of Boston (where he was born) and Philadelphia (his adopted home) that were still funding the cities into the 1990's.

But he was ''not'' a President.[[note]][[ExactWords Of the United States, at least.]] He ''was'' President (basically Governor, but his formal title was President) of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788. He was also president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia in 1751, which later became the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania.[[/note]] And he did not write the Declaration of Independence (although he did edit it). And he didn't found the Ben Franklin dime store chain. As a consolation, he is the only person whose signature appears on all three founding documents of the United States of America – the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution, as well as the treaty allying UsefulNotes/{{France}} with the United States.

* [[http://picturesforsadchildren.com/index.php?comicID=183 This]] ''PicturesForSadChildren'', though his common-law wife, Deborah Read Franklin, died of a stroke while he was in ''England''.

[[Film/TheAvengers Genius, millionaire, playboy, philanthropist]]. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the [[Franchise/IronMan Tony Stark]] of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution.

Genius, millionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the [[Franchise/IronMan Tony Stark]] of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution.

* He appeared in {{Creator/Nickelodeon}}'s classic toon ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam''. He replaced Wesley Snipes in the ''Film/MoneyTrain'' sequel.

* Showed up in the final episode of Series/{{Dilbert}}. It turns out the garbage man has his coffin in the truck ("You'd be amazed what people throw away") and the garbage man resurrects him with a magic potion (a second time after Dilbert tell him what's happened to the Post Office since his death), explains to Dilbert that the government of the US he helped put together was actually a practical joke, and finishes up back on the secret ruling council when they're selecting the new President. (Why Ben? Mostly because he's the Founder with the best known track record of boozing, philandering, and generally screwing around.)

* In a song cut from the early drafts of ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' and released by the Decemberists in 2018, "Ben Franklin's Song" brings the full awesomeness of America's favorite Founding Father to bear. Creator/LinManuelMiranda said he ultimately cut him because Franklin's character ''stole the show'' despite having only one scene.
--> And do you know who the fuck I am?

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706[[labelnote:†]] [January 6, 1705/6 as he would have known it under the old style Julian Calendar still in use during his early life; the Colonies adopted the Gregorian New Style calendar in 1752][[/labelnote]] – April 17, 1790) was a printer, author, scientist, musician, inventor, diplomat, [[ReallyGetsAround ladies']] [[KavorkaMan man]], revolutionary, and one of the coolest and most fascinating people in American history. Managed to make it onto UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates hundred dollar bill ([[AndZoidberg and the 50-cent piece from 1948 to 1963]]) without being UsefulNotes/{{The President|s}}. Invented bifocal lenses, the Franklin stove, and the lightning rod, after proving that lightning was just electricity rather than the wrath of an angry god. If you ever take a tour anywhere in Philadelphia's historical district, you will learn that he invented pretty much everything. Even TheInternet. He's probably the most famous person in American history to the rest of the world.

His writings are still widely read today. Among them: his autobigraphy, and many of his letters. He wasn't just ahead of his time as an inventor either: his "The Speech of Polly Baker" called out the DoubleStandard of the day in punishing women who bore illegitimate children but doing nothing to the men who fathered them, he was an abolitionist, and opened one of the first free libraries in the colonies. He also, in his will, left bequests to his beloved cities of Boston (where he was born) and Philadelphia (his adopted home) that were still funding the cities into the 1990's.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_one_hundred-dollar_bill The United States one hundred-dollar bill.]]
* Actor Creator/BillyBobThornton apparently believes he's reincarnated from Ol' Ben.
* When Creator/BobcatGoldthwait cut his hair because he was going bald, he joked that he was "starting to look like Ben Franklin". He also, in another bit, said that [[Music/CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung David Crosby]] looks like "Ben Franklin fucked a walrus".
* The culture of the Philadelphia Union of UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer is indelibly tied to Franklin and the American Revolution. Specific to Franklin, the team's oldest and largest supporters group is called the Sons of Ben, and the team put a snake on its crest as a reference to Franklin's "Join or Die" political cartoon.
* If you ever have a fortune cookie that begins with "Creator/{{Confucius}}/Creator/{{Laozi}}/[[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddha]]/whoever says:", chances are that they were said by ''Ben Franklin'' and not Creator/{{Confucius}}/Creator/{{Laozi}}/whoever. The reason for this is quite simple: Confucius, Laozi, and Gautama Siddhartha were philosophers and teachers, and many of their notable quotes were paradoxes meant to make you use your brain, whereas Ben's are [[NotableQuotables much more easily accessible to non-dedicated scholars]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'' pits him against Creator/BillyMays and Creator/VinceOffer.

* Ichabod Crane of ''Series/SleepyHollow'' spent some time learning from Franklin. He was present for the kite experiment, which was an attempt to destroy the key.

* When PuffDaddy sings "It's All About the Benjamins, Baby", yes, it's this Benjamin. Franklin is the face on the American hundred dollar bill.

* In Magazine/{{MAD}} #169, the article "A MAD History of Sex", writes: "Perhaps the greatest Sexual Figure in Revolutionary times was also known as "The Father of Our Country". His name was Benjamin Franklin. We realize some people think UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington was the father of our country, and you may say "You don't know your history." All we can say is "You don't know your Benjamin Franklin!"

* Actor BillyBobThornton apparently believes he's reincarnated from Ol' Ben.
* When Creator/BobcatGoldthwait cut his hair because he was going bald, he joked that he was "starting to look like Ben Franklin". He also, in another bit, said that [[Music/CrosbyStillsAndNash David Crosby]] looks like "Ben Franklin fucked a walrus".

* ''BenAndMe'', a story told from the point of view of a cute talking mouse that lives in the walls of Ben Franklin's house. Contributed to the "key kite" myth. Later became a Creator/{{Disney}} animated short.

But he was ''not'' a President.[[note]][[ExactWords Of the United States, at least.]] He ''was'' President (basically Governor, but his formal title was President) of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788.[[/note]] And he did not write the Declaration of Independence (although he did edit it). And he didn't found the Ben Franklin dime store chain. As a consolation, he is the only person whose signature appears on all three founding documents of the United States of America – the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution, as well as the treaty allying UsefulNotes/{{France}} with the United States.

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706[[labelnote:†]] [January 6, 1705/6 as he would have known it under the old Julian Calendar still in use during his early life][[/labelnote]] – April 17, 1790) was a printer, author, scientist, musician, inventor, diplomat, [[ReallyGetsAround ladies']] [[KavorkaMan man]], revolutionary, and one of the coolest and most fascinating people in American history. Managed to make it onto UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates hundred dollar bill ([[AndZoidberg and the 50-cent piece from 1948 to 1963]]) without being UsefulNotes/{{The President|s}}. Invented bifocal lenses, the Franklin stove, and the lightning rod, after proving that lightning was just electricity rather than the wrath of an angry god. If you ever take a tour anywhere in Philadelphia's historical district, you will learn that he invented pretty much everything. Even TheInternet. He's probably the most famous person in American history to the rest of the world.