Ben Franklin and the MAGIC SQUARES

Ben Franklin and the MAGIC SQUARES

Over 200 years ago, when America was just 13 colonies, there lived a super smart guy. You may have heard of him. His name was Benjamin Franklin. But most people called him Ben. This story is about how Ben invented magic squares. But first, there are a few things you need to know about this great man . . .

Ben Franklin wasn't smart for nothing. He put his big brain to good use. He was always thinking and writing and inventing cool things-even when he was a kid. When he was 11 years old, Ben jumped into a lake holding on to a kite. The kite was pulled by the wind. Ben was pulled by the kite. The kite flew a whole mile with Ben holding on tight!

That same year, Ben wanted to swim faster than anyone. So he made flippers for his hands and feet. They worked! People still use a version of Ben's flippers today.

As Ben grew older, he kept thinking and writing and inventing. When he was 23, he wrote and printed a newspaper called The Pennsylvania Gazette. People loved it!