December 28: Poor Richard's Almanac

1732 Benjamin Franklin, aged 26, first published Poor Richard: An Almanack, Philadelphia, USA.

Poor Richard's Almanac, as it is commonly called, was a yearly almanac published by Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of 'Poor Richard' for the purpose of this work in the title. It appeared continuously from 1732 to 1757. The almanac was a best seller for a pamphlet published in the American colonies; print runs typically ran to 10,000 per year. Thus young Franklin soon became a wealthy man, able to give up work and concentrate on his interests.

It contained the typical calendar, weather, and astronomical and astrological information that an almanac of the period contained. It is chiefly remembered, however, for being a repository of Franklin's aphorisms and proverbs, many of which live on in American English. These maxims typically counsel thrift and courtesy, with just a dash of cynicism ...