Poor Richard's Almanack (1732)
This Day in Esoteric Political History
Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia
4.6 • 982 Ratings
🗓️ 19 December 2023
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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It’s December 19th. This day in 1732, Benjamin Franklin first published “Poor Richard’s Almanack” — his book of weather forecast, practical advice, and all sorts of aphorisms about living your best life.
Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why the Almanack became such a sensation in Colonial America, and why his advice still feels like it could find an audience today.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to this day in Esoteric political history from Radiotopia. |
| 0:07.0 | My name is Jody Avergan. |
| 0:11.0 | This day, December 19th, 1732, Philadelphia's very own, Benjamin Franklin, first published |
| 0:17.4 | Poor Richards Almanac, the Almanac, which is about Alma and then N-A-C-K. |
| 0:23.4 | These were very popular books and pamphlets in colonial America |
| 0:26.4 | offering a mixture of seasonal weather forecasts, |
| 0:28.9 | traditional almanac stuff, but then practical household hints and |
| 0:32.1 | puzzles and other amusementsments and that's what Franklin's book was a mix of that weather forecasting and practical advice but then more and what he was mostly remembered for was this repository of his aphorisms and sayings and maxims and you know to me the kind of wellness grind set life hack |
| 0:50.1 | group adjacent stuff that you see on Tik-TTok for these five hour long podcast these days. |
| 0:54.4 | That's basically what Ben Franklin was doing in poor Richards almanac. |
| 0:58.0 | So let's take a tour through that, see how it see how that advice holds up. |
| 1:02.8 | And then I'll talk a little bit about how that fits into Franklin's |
| 1:07.8 | political ambitions, growing political ambitions and career. |
| 1:10.8 | I'm realizing I should have like made a cuteie aphorism in this intro like a like a |
| 1:16.4 | a podcast. |
| 1:17.4 | Yeah a podcast without funding is a da da da da da da. |
| 1:22.3 | Something like that. |
| 1:23.0 | Maybe by the end of the show I'll come with one. |
| 1:25.0 | Anyway, here, as always, |
| 1:26.0 | Nicole Hammer Vanderbilt and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wesley. |
| 1:29.0 | Hello there. |
| 1:30.0 | Hi Jody. |
... |
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