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Benjamin Franklin
Tim Walz and the ‘Folksy’ Science Behind Sounding American
ELECTION ELOCUTIONAs Coach Walz prepares to deliver a big stakes pep talk at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, here are four proven secrets to sounding all-American to look out for.
Michael Douglas’ ‘Franklin’ Could Use a Zap of Lightning
ELECTRICALLY DULLThe Oscar-winner does his best to bring Benjamin Franklin to life. But with lines like, “What is electricity compared to a good fart?” it’s a losing battle.
Ken Burns Shows Us How Benjamin Franklin Shaped Our World
ICONThe celebrated documentarian’s four-part PBS docuseries, premiering April 4, explores the revolutionary Founding Father in all his glory.
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If You Think You Know Our National Bird, You’re Wrong
TWO MYTHSWe love to think we know. We even love to think we know of a Benjamin Franklin counter-proposal nominating a different species. We are so wrong.
America’s First Newspapers Were Financed by the Slave Trade
‘LAD TO BE SOLD’Before the slave trade was fully professionalized, newspaper editors—including Benjamin Franklin—stepped in to help connect buyers and sellers.
How an Iroquois Chief Helped Write the U.S. Constitution
EXCERPTHistory has largely forgotten Canasatego, the Iroquois chief who eloquently introduced American colonists to the federalist ideas that would shape their government.
Ukraine Debt: Putin’s Trump Card
Debtors’ PrisonAmerican retirees are inadvertently doing the Russian president’s dirty work.
Nude Ben Franklin Stops By Sleepy Hollow
Spoilers<p><i>Sleepy Hollow</i> is back to deliver reliable LOLs and miraculously campy demons, along with a feel good mission to stop the apocalypse with some righteous Christian ass smacking.</p>
The Pursuit of Hoppiness
Founding DrinkersThe Constitution was written by men who owned breweries, imported whiskey, and humped cows.
Why Liberal Arts Isn’t for Losers
Vocational IdiocyAmericans starting with Benjamin Franklin have been suspicious of liberal arts higher education. But lately the critics’ knives are out in earnest.
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