On this day in 1732, writer and printer Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) published the annual Poor Richard's Almanac in Philadelphia for the first time under the pseudonym Richard Saunders.

The power-filled periodical sold as many as 10,000 copies and featured Franklin's keen wit and straight-forward prose.

"Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy," he wrote.

His Almanac was a guide to weather forecasts, recipes, jokes, and clever aphorisms such as: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise;" "Snug as a bug in a rug;" and "Health is the way to man’s wealth."

The almanac remained a best-seller in the colonies with Franklin's recurrent themes for success, industry, and frugality.

"Beware of little expenses," he warned. "A small leak will sink a great ship."

All his life, the brilliant Franklin tried to improve the world around him. His creation of the almanac was an educational service that played a large part in molding the American character. A legacy, his words remain appropriate today.

"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain," lamented Poor Richard's Almanac with a pinch of irony. "And most fools do."

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Knowledge is a sound investment.