Benjamin Franklin with Ken Burns

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 29 March 2022

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a scientist, inventor, writer and diplomat. As one of the leading figures of early American history, Franklin helped to draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776, worked to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War in 1783, and was a delegate to the convention that produced the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

Ken Burns joins Dan to explore the revolutionary life of one of the 18th century's most consequential and compelling characters. They discuss how Franklin's life spanned an epoch of momentous change in science, technology, literature, politics, and government.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Everybody welcome to Dan Snow's history. I'm very excited to have Ken Burns back on the podcast.
0:05.4	You'll know Ken Burns, Ken Burns, the most legendary history documentary maker on planet Earth.
0:09.9	Many of us probably remember the US Civil War series that he made that all we all watched and fell in love with.
0:17.1	But he's obviously made dozens of other documentaries, second world war Vietnam.
0:21.6	And it's Hemingway. He's been on the podcast for which I was putting on this Hemingway a year or two ago.
0:25.6	But as you'll hear, it prompts him. He's got a bit of an earnest Hemingway reading binge, which I'm very grateful for.
0:31.2	Not folks, it is improved my life. People are always casting about the things that improve their life.
0:36.5	I think change your diet. Next size regime does your job.
0:39.0	Sure, your relationship. Reading Hemingway improved my life.
0:43.8	There you go. Thank you, Ken Burns.
0:45.8	And thank you, Ken Burns, with a later documentary series on Benjamin Franklin, the scientist, the inventor of the right, the diplomat,
0:51.5	the signer of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The man was a polymath. He was a legend.
0:57.8	This conversation with Ken really reminded me that before the revolution, he was the only American that the rest of the world ever heard of.
1:03.7	He was a brilliant scientist described as the Isaac Newton of his time.
1:07.8	And then he went on to become a founding father. I mean, there's unbelievable.
1:10.9	So much packed into one life. Absolutely extraordinary. I think you'll agree.
1:15.3	When you listen to this podcast and watch his two-part documentary, premier on PBS on April 4th and 5th this year, it'll be on for those who are listening in the UK or beyond a little bit later here in the UK as well.
1:27.0	Ken is not only someone who has inspired me in my career. It's been a huge honor to get to know him now through this podcast.
1:34.1	And I find him even more electrifying and inspiring as I've got to know him better.
1:38.7	So I have to pinch myself. I have to go back to that slightly geeky kid who confused his friends in his early teens by asking his mum and dad to watch.
1:47.7	I think of what box sets back then. I think it might have been huge plastic containers of VHS tapes. I'm not sure. Anyway, I rented them from the video rental store down the road.
1:57.8	I hid them so that my friends wouldn't see. I took them home and I binge watch all of them.
	...

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