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 A