ON Benjamin Franklin with Walter Isaacson
iHeart Podcast Network
He didn’t have a role in Hamilton, but America wouldn’t be the same without him!
From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Mastermind, co-host of the beloved Longform podcast) comes a behind the scenes look at the story of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped our national character.
From Franklin’s adventures as a mischievous apprentice, to his evolution over 84 years into America’s best writer, inventor,scientist, diplomat, and business strategist… as well as Founding Father, Isaacson covers everything from the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac to the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence; not to mention, how a former slave owner evolved into the shepherd of a near-perfect Constitution.
In this intimate behind the scenes interview, Isaacson provides a look at how he came to understand Franklin’s remarkable life, how it shaped America’s national identity, and why Ben Franklin matters so much right now.
Location:
United States
Networks:
iHeart Podcast Network
Description:
He didn’t have a role in Hamilton, but America wouldn’t be the same without him! From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Mastermind, co-host of the beloved Longform podcast) comes a behind the scenes look at the story of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped our national character. From Franklin’s adventures as a mischievous apprentice, to his evolution over 84 years into America’s best writer, inventor,scientist, diplomat, and business strategist… as well as Founding Father, Isaacson covers everything from the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac to the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence; not to mention, how a former slave owner evolved into the shepherd of a near-perfect Constitution. In this intimate behind the scenes interview, Isaacson provides a look at how he came to understand Franklin’s remarkable life, how it shaped America’s national identity, and why Ben Franklin matters so much right now.
Language:
English
Episodes
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 5: Legacy
10/3/2024
In this final episode of our series, host Evan Ratliff and biographer Walter Isaacson discuss Benjamin Franklin's remarkable late-in-life achievements-- from his last anonymous essay, to the way he empowered George Washington, to his evolution on slavery, to the beautiful way Philadelphia mourned its favorite son... oh, and they discuss Ben Franklin's favorite magic trick, too!
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Duration:00:35:46
ON Musk Episode One Genius
9/26/2024
Hey listeners! We're off this week, but we'll be back with the FINAL episode of ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN next week. In the meantime, remember, you can always binge the first season about the controversial tech genius Elon Musk right now... starting with episode one, here!
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Duration:00:31:45
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 4: The Statesman
9/19/2024
After retiring at the age of 42, Ben Franklin immersed himself in politics, taking on enormous diplomatic challenges on behalf of Pennsylvania and the colonies. In this episode, we dive into Franklin the talented statesman-- a man who emerged from his mission in England with a taste for revenge, charmed the French into supporting a burgeoning nation, and somehow found time to get involved in every revolutionary tract-- from Common Sense to the Constitution... in between playing chess in the bathtub!
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Duration:00:37:46
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 3: Industry
9/12/2024
Few people remember that Benjamin Franklin was America’s wealthiest self-made man. After being denied a formal education and then indentured to his own brother, he launched America's first media empire. But while Franklin could be a ruthless businessman, he was out for more than himself—he knew his success was predicated on a strong middle class, a new, American idea. So he started civic ventures like fire departments, street sweepers, and public libraries. But it wasn't until he became a postmaster that he realized why the colonies needed to band together as a nation.
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Duration:00:29:10
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 2: The Great American Character
9/4/2024
From writing under pen names in the newspaper as a teenager, to the Poor Richard maxims we all know, to the autobiography he created to show the path toward American virtues, Ben Franklin literally wrote the books on what it means to be American. But how close was the real Ben Franklin to the character he created?
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Duration:00:32:33
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 1: Ingenuity
8/29/2024
From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Shell Games, Longform) comes a revealing look into the life of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped America.
In this first episode of five, we dive into the way Franklin's scientific curiosity laid the groundwork for his approach to democracy, and how his thirst for innovation not only led him to invent everything from swimming flippers to the lightning rod, but also turned him into a bona fide, worldwide celebrity—a fame he would soon wield for America's benefit.
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Duration:00:27:55
Introducing Season 2: ON Benjamin Franklin with Walter Isaacson
8/22/2024
Introducing ON Benjamin Franklin with Walter Isaacson - an intimate behind the scenes interview to understand Benjamin Franklin’s remarkable life.
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Duration:00:02:48
ON Musk Episode Four: What is Musk’s Legacy?
12/12/2023
Which of Musk’s efforts will mark his legacy? Will it be Starship and his work bringing Americans back into orbit, or will it be X and his amplifications of the worst of humanity? Isaacson wrestles with his time in Silicon Valley, and relays a comparison of Jobs and Musk that’s sure to stay with you.
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Duration:00:43:24
ON Musk Episode Three: Storytelling and Hot Takes
12/12/2023
Be a storyteller, not a preacher. That was novelist Walker Percy’s legendary advice to a young Walter Isaacson. One he takes to heart in his work as a journalist at Time and CNN, and as a biographer of creative genius across the centuries—and in trying to capture someone as volatile as Elon Musk. He reflects on the challenges of holding the complexity of a character in his mind—and the minds of readers—in the modern age, when everyone just wants to know if the emerald mines were real.
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Duration:00:44:40
ON Musk Episode Two: Demons
12/12/2023
What kind of titan of industry has a "giddy mode"? Or a "demon mode"? The two aspects of Musk’s personality are forces that drive his choices and behavior at work—and vectors Isaacson finds critical to understanding how Musk operates. From ripping out servers on Christmas Eve on a whim to buying Twitter against better wisdom, and reaming out staff members left right and center, we stare into the darker parts of Musk as chronicled by Isaacson.
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Duration:00:42:54
ON Musk Episode One: Genius
12/12/2023
Space travel, electric vehicles, future-powering batteries—the ability to push technology forward and to bring it into the world in a real way is without a doubt the best of Elon Musk. In his 600 page biography, Walter Isaacson chronicles a man with superlative engineering skills, but who “doesn’t have a fingertip feel for social emotional networks.” On this first of four episodes, Isaacson shares the aspects of Musk that gave meaning and muscle to … the rest of Musk.
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Duration:00:31:45
Introducing: On Musk with Walter Isaacson
12/5/2023
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Duration:00:03:23