The house of Benjamin Franklin is the world's only surviving residence of one of the founding fathers of the United States. A great politician, scientist, diplomat and inventor lived here for sixteen years.

Franklin was born in 1706 in the family of British soap-boiler, who emigrated to America. All the education of the future scientist was limited to two classrooms in the school. However, he was lucky: at the age of twelve he went into the service of big brother-the typographer and acquired a profession related to books. Self made Franklin a different person: at fifteen, he pseudonymously wrote a popular article in a newspaper brother, at twenty-one he established his own printing house, at twenty-three – a newspaper, a twenty five – America's first public library.

As a scientist he proved the electrical nature of lightning, and he proposed the idea of an electric motor. As the inventor, invented the lightning rod, the glass harmonica, bifocals, electrical fuse. As a politician and philosopher has achieved inclusion in the U.S. Constitution the idea of inalienable human rights to life, liberty and property.

In London Franklin arrived in 1757 as a representative of Pennsylvania – then still a British colony. His wife Deborah was afraid to cross the ocean, an American settled in Craven-street, 36, widowed mistress Margaret Stevenson. With her and her daughter Polly they became friends for life. Biographer of Franklin Carl van Doren wrote that the lodger was here the head of the family living in comfort and love.

The mission of Franklin in Britain was extremely important for the American colonies. The messenger appeared in the British press and Parliament against the unjust taxation of the colonists, warned the public opinion about the possibility of conflict. Never left it and scientific research: in a house on Craven street investigated the magnetism and the mechanism of occurrence of the common cold.

The building has been preserved in its almost original form: it has all the same Central staircase, wall panel, furnace and window shutters. Historical furniture, however, has not survived. Its drawback is compensated by the originality of excursions: the actress, dressed in a dress of the eighteenth century (she portrays the daughter of the mistress Polly), tells about the life of Franklin, the narrative is accompanied by an impressive soundtrack, and videos on huge screens.

In the basement of the building in our day was made an unexpected discovery: many human bones. It is believed that here was the anatomical theatre-in-law Margaret Stevenson, a young anatomist William Hewson. It is not excluded that Franklin, who was interested in absolutely everything, and he was working here.