Happy Birthday, Ben Franklin! On January 17, 1706, Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts. While Ben Franklin was an inventor, writer, scientist, and Founding Father of the United States, what he actually took the most pride in his life was his profession as a printer. At the age of 12, Ben became an apprentice to his brother James, a printer, who taught Ben the printing trade. Three years later, James founded The New-England Courant, which was one of the first newspapers in North America. At 17, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia where he worked in a variety of printing offices and would later help establish newspapers throughout the American colonies. No matter what he considered himself in life, he made sure “Printer” would be inscribed on his grave before he passed away in 1790. In honor of Ben Franklin’s birthday today, Howard discusses Franklin and letterpress prints “Happy Birthday, Ben Franklin!” set in 24 point Caslon type. Above the text is an image of a wooden ...