Above / Wise and witty Ben Franklin has been the face on the $100 bill ever since 1914 when the Century Note was first introduced.
Mindful of today’s anniversary of Ben Franklin’s birthday as well as his many inventions and discoveries, the technology to watch live and archived local school board meetings, Naperville City Council and Planning & Zoning meetings, Naperville Park District Board meetings and PN’s posts has come a long way.
Thanks for paying attention to all in a timely fashion. Curiosity is the best!
“Since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour.” —Ben Franklin
Celebrate anniversary of Ben Franklin’s birth
Born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Mass., Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son of 17 children. In 1730, he married Deborah Read and they had three children. By the end of his active life on April 17, 1790, Franklin had become one of the most famous of America’s founders and today his many practical inventions continue to be celebrated around the world.
More than other years, perhaps take a moment to recognize Franklin as an avid supporter of safety that comes with a collective focus on public health. Known for helping to establish the nation’s first public hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, Franklin contributed to medical discoveries, including support of smallpox inoculation in the 1730s via a process known as variolation, accompanied by risks. While the process typically would cause a mild form of the illness, it was known to produce lifelong immunity.
Consider the technology to find a coronavirus vaccine. Some processes change only slightly even as technology advances.
“The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” written in 1868 notes that Franklin’s support of inoculation through variolation was inspired in large part by the death of his 4-year-old son, Francis, following his infection with smallpox. That’s a whole other story.
Since 1980, the smallpox virus that was highly contagious, disfiguring, and often deadly (and traced back more than 12,000 years), has been eradicated.
Franklin’s wit, wisdom and sage advice are legendary. The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia remains one of the most educational and memorable places for our children when they were young.
“There never was a good war nor a bad peace.” —Ben Franklin
We surround ourselves with Ben Franklin quotes and similar journals in our workplace to remind us to compare and analyze modern methods with the basic advice and commonsense Franklin espoused in the 18th century. As we embrace our own curiosity in this fast-paced world, we often ask, “What would Ben do?”
Making better decisions, pro & con / What would Ben Franklin do?
“…My way is to divide half a sheet of paper by a line into two columns; writing over the one Pro and over the other Con. Then during three or four days’ consideration, I put down under the different heads short hints of the different motives, that at different times occur to me, for or against the measure.
“When I have thus got them altogether in one view, I endeavor to estimate their respective weights; and where I find two, one on each side, that seem equal, I strike them both out.
“If I judge some two reasons con equal to some three reasons pro, I strike out five; and thus proceeding, I find where the balance lies; and if after a day or two of further consideration, nothing new that is of importance occurs on either side, I come to a determination accordingly…” –Benjamin Franklin
Never ever a self-proclaimed perfectionist, Ben Franklin can be credited for his never-ending curiosity and communication skills while improving the world in countless practical ways via a city hospital, electricity, fire departments, higher education, postal service, public libraries, weather forecasts and vaccinations.
As a prolific inventor, Franklin never patented a single innovation, considering his inventions (bifocal lenses, Franklin stove, lightning rod, to name three) as gifts to the public. You could say his aversion to patents embraced the concept of “open source.”
“Well done is better than well said.” —Ben Franklin
Thanks to technology, city meetings are online
Thanks to technology, the City of Naperville broadcasts public E-meetings such as City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, Transportation Advisory Board and workshops for public viewing and streaming on electronic devices live and saves them in an archive for future viewing at any time around the clock.
Click here for E-Events & Archives of City Council Meetings, Etc.
Next up, City Council meets virtually at 7PM Tues., Jan. 19, 2021. The community is encouraged to watch and learn. Click here for the agenda. All residents are welcome to address the City Council for three minutes or less. Sign up to speak, too. Important items are on the agenda. Thanks for paying attention.
The following evening beginning at 7PM Wed., Jan. 20, the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission also meets virtually. The agenda and access to the meeting are featured on the City’s website.
Note, letters to the City Council and/or Planning and Zoning Commission related to agenda items also are welcome prior to every meeting if received by 5PM the day of the meeting. Letters will be read during the meeting by City staff.
Thanks for reading. Thanks, too, for watching and becoming familiar with your elected officials.
Editor’s Note / PN’s publisher has been marking Ben Franklin’s birthday annually since our daughter was born in March 1979. Back then, Franklin still was credited with the invention of the rocking chair, a staple for mothers, and we were grateful. More recently, historians have traced the origin of the rocking chair to earlier in the 18th century when Franklin would have been a young child. No matter. Tracing the twists and turns of truth over the centuries, it is a fact that a rocking chair always has come in handy at our house and Franklin continues to come to mind.
“There have been as many great souls unknown to fame as any of the most famous.” —Ben Franklin
Click Here to Collection of Benjamin Franklin Quotes…
