Interesting Facts - Page 191

In his will, Benjamin Franklin donated 1000 pounds sterling (worth about $272,000 today) to the cities of Boston and Philadelphia. But his gifts came with some strings attached. For the first century, the cities were required to invest 100% of the money. After a century they could spend 75% and let the remaining 25% grow for another century. So did compound interest make the cities fabulously wealthy? Not really. After 200 years, the gifts were worth a relatively modest $6 million combined.

In 1745, Ben Franklin wrote a letter to a friend entitled "Advice to a Friend on Choosing a Mistress". In the letter, Franklin gives eight reasons why an older mistress is to be preferred.

It takes a typical climber 6 weeks to ascend from Everest base camp to the summit. A Sherpa climber once did it in less than 11 hours. A different Sherpa climber once spent 21 hours on the summit without supplemental oxygen.

In 1970, Cancún, Mexico only had three residents – the caretakers of a local coconut plantation. By 2020, the population was nearly one million.

As a young man, Napoleon wrote a semi-biographical romance novel.