Topic: Benjamin Franklin

Steve Jobs and Apple: How his vision transformed the way we work and play

Apple under Steve Jobs launched iconic toys and tools and software, so successful in form and function that competitors stood in awe and customers lined up overnight for the latest gadget.
08/25/2011 08:45 pm

Postal Service closures: Ben Franklin's post office at risk

Postal Service list of possible closures includes a Philadelphia building once owned by Franklin. It's the only Colonial-themed post office run by the Postal Service.
07/28/2011 01:31 am

In Pictures Fourth of July traditions

Chapter & Verse David McCullough talks about "The Greater Journey" and some of his own favorite books

One of the ways that biographer David McCullough learns about his subjects is to raid their libraries.
06/24/2011 09:20 am

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris

How 19th-century America’s romance with Paris helped to change the course of US history.
05/24/2011 05:44 pm

Opinion The Ben Franklin solution for the coming age of scarcity

The basic human struggle for freedom, food, and energy will intensify on a global scale over the next few years. Doing more with less must become our mantra.
04/11/2011 09:57 am

The Circle Bastiat High-functioning 'short sleepers' make good entrepreneurs

Up to three percent of the population needs fewer than six hours of sleep each night to function well. Being highly productive and having plenty of time are advantages for an entrepreneur.
04/06/2011 11:08 am

Book club alert: 3 good picks for April

Travel might be broadening, but in this case, it changes the course of three people's lives. The three main characters in this month's fiction roundup were born 100 years apart and on three different continents, but they all end up in the same place – the United States. Two are brought against their will as children and one makes the journey as an adult, 24 years later than she had planned.
04/01/2011 12:01 pm

'Snooki' Polizzi? Nope. Try these 10 weirdest New Year's Eve celebrations.

'Snooki' Polizzi or a big Times Square ball? Please. How about a fish, a rodent, or an enormous roll of lunch meat? When these cities party on New Year's Eve, they get creative.
12/31/2010 04:43 pm

Reader recommendation: The Lees of Virginia

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
12/08/2010 05:05 am

Chapter & Verse Cleopatra: the true story

"Cleopatra" biographer Stacy Schiff talks about the real face of one of the most powerful women ever to live.
12/07/2010 03:53 pm

The 10 weirdest political ads of 2010

From demon sheep to witchcraft denials, this has been one crazy election season. And nowhere has the looniness been more on display than in the candidates' carefully crafted TV spots. Here is our list of the top 10 weirdest ads of 2010.
10/22/2010 04:46 pm

Stephen Colbert and laughable politics: Five comedians who ran for office

American politics have been the subject of satire since before the country's founding – a political cartoon depicting a snake cut into eight parts, representing eight American colonial governments, ran in Benjamin Franklin's newspaper in 1754. These days the US benefits from a healthy dose of humorous political commentary, but when the jokers run for political office (jokingly of course, right?) some funny things can happen. Here are five memorable ones.
09/27/2010 06:08 pm

Walter Rodgers Who deserves blame for the bad economy? We do.

By neglecting Ben Franklin’s gospel of thrift, Americans got into trouble.
09/22/2010 02:44 pm

Top issue in Israeli-Palestinian talks: When will real negotiations begin?

Before Mideast peace talks Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned the two sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that they have nothing to gain by waiting to tackle thorny issues.
09/02/2010 04:51 pm

Thomas Jefferson a closet royalist? Hardly.

Research using spectral imaging of a 'rough draught' of the Declaration of Independence shows that Thomas Jefferson crossed out 'subjects' and very carefully replaced it with 'citizens.'
07/03/2010 01:45 pm

Thomas Jefferson made monarchist slip-up in Declaration of Independence draft

Thomas Jefferson, described Americans as 'subjects' in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence. While the ink was still wet, he erased that word and replaced it with 'citizens.'
07/02/2010 06:42 pm

Horizons US Treasury: New 100 dollar bill needs 3D tech

On Wednesday, the US Treasury introduced a new 100 dollar bill, which is slated to go into circulation early in 2011. The new 100 dollar bill includes a "3D Security Ribbon" and a color-changing inkwell.
04/21/2010 04:18 pm

The Circle Bastiat Our Founding Fathers' thoughts on the Supreme Court

04/19/2010 11:00 am

Decoder Wire Postmasters general, kings of political patronage?

Postmasters general were once powerful figures who were members of the cabinet and often among a president's closest political and personal advisers. What happened?
03/11/2010 12:22 pm

How America can create jobs

The nation's entrepreneurial prowess may be the best hope to stem 9.7 percent unemployment. Companies from a laser-tech firm to a baby-sitting network are harnessing new ideas – and helping reinvent the economy.
02/22/2010 04:00 pm

Horizons Isaac Newton: Why apples are falling on Google today

Google celebrates Isaac Newton's birthday with an animated homepage.
01/04/2010 02:49 pm

In Cheap We Trust

A cheapskate herself, Lauren Weber considers how and why Americans spend.
12/28/2009 08:59 am

Is happiness linked to quality-of-life factors like climate?

A new report finds a close match between individual happiness and objective quality-of-life measures such as climate, air quality, and schools. But others say happiness is more nearly tied to family, friends, and religion.
12/17/2009 06:36 pm

The Monitor's View It's bipartisan: Barack Obama and George H.W. Bush agree on community service

The two presidents celebrate a surge in volunteerism. The challenge is how to target and keep the free talent of millions of Americans.
10/16/2009 01:00 am