About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of Benjamin Franklin's 'Poor Richard’s Almanack' in Colonial America and its relevance today.

As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon! 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. Join our America250 newsletter community ! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now . This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello…

People in this episode

Host: Jody Avirgan

Guests: Niki, Kellie

Topics covered

• Revolutionary era
• Benjamin Franklin
• Colonial America
• Almanack
• historical analysis

Keywords

• Benjamin Franklin
• Poor Richard’s Almanack
• Colonial America
• historical podcast
• Revolutionary era

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Radiotopia

Books & works: Poor Richard’s Almanack

More episodes of This Day (An America 250 History Show)

• A Declaration Abstention w/ John Dickerson (Revolutionary Rerun) · July 21, 2026 · 14 min
• Franklin's French Fantasies w/ Mike Duncan (Revolutionary Rerun) · July 19, 2026 · 32 min
• Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy? (Revolutionary Rerun) · July 16, 2026 · 16 min
• Liberty Trees (Revolutionary Rerun) · July 14, 2026 · 25 min
• A Show We Love: "The Rest Is History" on George Washington · July 8, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Mid-Year Mailbag w/ Jody, Niki, and Kellie · July 5, 2026 · 41 min

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