Benjamin Franklin

About Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin, an 18th-century polymath and one of the Founding Fathers, secured his high historical rank (#339 by HPI) through multifaceted influence across science, literature, and politics. His contributions include pioneering work in electricity, founding institutions like the American Philosophical Society, and, critically, serving as a key diplomat in securing French support during the American Revolution. His political acumen and scientific curiosity cemented his place as one of history's most consequential figures.

Despite this significant historical footprint, Franklin's modern internet attention appears robust, though context is key. With 2.7 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025, he commands substantial traffic. However, his Attention Gap is calculated at +6x, indicating overattention relative to his HPI ranking. This suggests that contemporary internet users pay more attention to him than his relative historical importance might suggest, placing him above figures ranked much higher, such as Avicenna (#58) who garners less than 700K views.

This high engagement level is juxtaposed against a slight cooling trend: Franklin saw a year-over-year view decrease of -33.3%, and his recent momentum (Q1 vs Q3 2025) dropped by -15%, hinting that while he remains a popular topic, the peak of recent digital interest may have passed.