Benjamin and Albert Franklin
Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin, inventor, author, statesman, diplomat and Founding Father. Few, however, know of his twin brother, Albert.
While Benjamin, even from an early age, showed a strong work ethic, Albert was satisfied to “just hang out, man,” and became widely known as a gadabout, vagabond, and ne’er-do-well. Although identical twins, Albert was easy to tell apart by his bloodshot eyes, dumb grin, and long unkempt hair (even by those day’s standards). It would take almost two centuries for historians to recognize Albert as America’s first hippie.
Unfortunately, the brothers had a falling out in 1757 when Benjamin, in an attempt to help his brother pay off debts owed to his Native American dealer, hired Albert to work the printing press for that year’s Poor Richard Almanac. It seems that right before going to print, Benjamin had to leave on business, and Albert, ever the joker, made unauthorized changes to the text.
The full extent of Albert’s handiwork will forever remain a secret, since Benjamin, upon discovering his brother’s prank, attempted to destroy each and every copy. But despite his best efforts, two pages of Albert’s version survived. They are currently held within a secret vault bellow the Smithsonian made specially to hide evidence of famous Americans’ embarrassing brothers.
And if you would like these pages as a desktop wallpaper, here you go.
Tags: Albert Franklin, Almanac, Benjamin Franklin, Brothers, Desktop Wallpaper, drugs, hippies, Smithsonian, Twins
History, Lists, Pictures, Writing | Adam | 
May 21, 2009 10:36 am | 
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