{"id":86405,"date":"2026-01-14T10:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T10:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/86405\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T10:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T10:32:08","slug":"party-likes-its-1706-how-to-celebrate-ben-franklins-320th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/86405\/","title":{"rendered":"Party likes it’s 1706! How to celebrate Ben Franklin\u2019s 320th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s 2026, and we\u2019re celebrating America\u2019s 250th birthday, but a couple of our Founding Fathers have celebrations on tap \u2014 President\u2019s Day (aka George Washington\u2019s birthday) is coming next month and, closer to home, we\u2019ll celebrate the 320th birthday of Philly\u2019s own Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, on Saturday, January 17.<\/p>\n

What is it about the scientist, statesman, printer and politician that allows his presence to loom so large centuries later?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHis never-ending curiosity,\u201d said Brian Patrick Mulligan, an actor and historical impersonator<\/a> who is one of the people who have brought Franklin to life for modern audiences in Philly and across the U.S. for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe conducted so many experiments, challenged things, changed things. There\u2019s so many things that Ben Franklin invented that are still used in society today. That\u2019s an amazing contribution,\u201d Mulligan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Plus, he added, \u201cif not for Ben Franklin, we may not have won the Revolutionary War,\u201d thanks to his successful trip to France to petition King Louis XVI \u201cfor the three Ms: money, munitions, militia. Without the ships and everything else that France offered, we probably would have lost and still been part of the colonies with England.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A postcard circa 1900-1910 of visitors standing near Benjamin Franklin\u2019s grave in Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. (Courtesy of Library Company of Philadelphia)<\/p>\n

Franklin\u2019s legacy also includes a long list of inventions, many of which are still used today. Think the car odometer, the lightning rod, bifocals, swimming fins \u2013 he is the only Founding Father in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not to mention all the Philadelphia institutions that still exist, like the University of Pennsylvania \u2013 its alumni have their own birthday parties planned<\/a> \u2013 which was founded originally as the Academy of Philadelphia in 1740, and the Union Fire Company, the first public hospital, and the first lending library.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Chris Kuncio as a young Benjamin Franklin. (Photo courtesy Chris Kuncio)<\/p>\n

\u201cBen was so young when he did all of the stuff he\u2019s known for,\u201d said another Franklin impersonator and Mastery Charter School teacher, Chris Kuncio<\/a>, who leads tours while rapping and dressed as a younger version of the elder statesman. \u201cHe was only 26 when he set up the library, only 30 when he set up the fire company.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Mulligan, each of the 36 years he has spent embodying Franklin \u2013 to the day, as he began on Jan. 17, 1990 \u2013 \u201cI learn something new and my curiosity is always piqued. It\u2019s a never-ending story because he had such a rich, filled life. If he inspires other people to be curious, that would be a wonderful honor in his life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Brian Patrick Mulligan has worked as a Ben Franklin historical impersonator for 36 years. (Photo courtesy Brian Patrick Mulligan)<\/p>\n

One of his quotes is \u201cBe at war with your vices, be at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better [person].\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is sound advice,\u201d Mulligan said, \u201cfor anybody today or back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are several events being held to wish Franklin a happy 320th birthday posthumously. Here are some options.\u00a0<\/p>\n

American Philosophical Society\u2019s 2026 Benjamin Franklin Birthday Celebration: The Role of the Military in a Democracy\u00a0<\/p>\n

When: Friday, Jan. 16 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.\u00a0<\/a>
Where: American Philosophical Society (427 Chestnut St.) then parade to Christ Church Burial Ground.
What: Military, academic and historical leaders discuss Franklin\u2019s legacy, then and now, before making the annual birthday parade from APS\u2019 Franklin Hall to Christ Church and then to the Museum of the American Revolution, capped by an already-sold-out talk with Lt. General H. R. McMaster.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ben Franklin\u2019s Birthday Limited Edition Tippler\u2019s Tour<\/p>\n

When: Friday to Sunday, Jan. 16-18, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Carpenter\u2019s Hall\u00a0
What: Raise a glass to Franklin for his 320th birthday with a limited-run edition of the Tippler\u2019s Tour. Enjoy seasonal snacks and festive drinks as you learn some of Ben\u2019s most colorful euphemisms for being drunk \u2014 like \u201cnimptopsical\u201d and \u201ctipsicum grave.\u201d\u00a0
How much: Tastings and gratuity are included in a $40 ticket<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s Birthday Bash<\/p>\n

When: Saturday, Jan. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Franklin Institute
What: Dress like Ben. Hands-on fun, games, music and more. Snap a pic in front of the 20-foot-tall Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. Play Franklin-themed games, design birthday hats, see hair-raising electricity experiments, and hear the unique sound of \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d being played live on Franklin\u2019s own invention, the glass armonica, with a celebratory ball-pit ball explosion finale!\u00a0
How much: $23-29 museum admission<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Franklin Museum<\/p>\n

When: Year-round, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.<\/a>
Where: Entrance between 3rd and 4th Street on Market Street
What: Exhibits about Franklin\u2019s life and legacy on the spot where his house once stood. Also: the building that housed his Printing Office, a working post office, and Franklin Court which includes a small outdoor archeological exhibit that can be viewed. Part of the National Park Service.
How much: $5 for a adults, $2 for children<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s 2026, and we\u2019re celebrating America\u2019s 250th birthday, but a couple of our Founding Fathers have celebrations on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[43235,43236,227,564,94,5962,69,71,70,8093],"class_list":{"0":"post-86405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-ben-franklin","9":"tag-chris-kuncio","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-featured","12":"tag-history","13":"tag-penn","14":"tag-philadelphia","15":"tag-philadelphia-headlines","16":"tag-philadelphia-news","17":"tag-upenn"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}