Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath, a leading writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general.
Portrait by Joseph Duplessis, 1778
An 1881 illustration of Franklin's birthplace on Milk Street in Boston
A May 2008 photograph of Franklin's birthplace in Boston, commemorated with a bust of Franklin atop the building's second-floor façade
La scuola della economia e della morale, an 1825 sketch of Franklin
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematics, engineering science, and medical science".
Headquarters of the Royal Society in Carlton House Terrace in London
Elected in 1672, Isaac Newton was one of the earliest fellows of the Royal Society.
Stephen Hawking was elected a Fellow in 1974.
Bill Bryson, elected as an Hononary Member in 2013
