Editing Benjamin Franklin (section)

====Scientific work====
In 1756, Franklin had become a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (now the [[Royal Society of Arts]]), which had been founded in 1754. After his return to the United States in 1775, he became the Society's Corresponding Member, continuing a close connection. The Royal Society of Arts instituted a [[Benjamin Franklin Medal (Royal Society of Arts)|Benjamin Franklin Medal]] in 1956 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of his birth and the 200th anniversary of his membership of the RSA.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nicholles|first=Natalie|title=What Would Benjamin Franklin Say?|url=https://www.thersa.org/blog/2016/12/what-would-benjamin-franklin-say|url-status=live|access-date=September 16, 2021|website=The RSA|date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916164701/https://www.thersa.org/blog/2016/12/what-would-benjamin-franklin-say |archive-date=September 16, 2021 }}</ref>

The study of [[natural philosophy]] (referred today as science in general) drew him into overlapping circles of acquaintance. Franklin was, for example, a corresponding member of the [[Lunar Society of Birmingham]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Schofield|first=Robert E.|title=The Industrial Orientation of Science in the Lunar Society of Birmingham|date=December 1957|journal=[[Isis (journal)|Isis]]|volume=48|issue=4|pages=408–415|publisher=The University of Chicago Press on behalf of [[The History of Science Society]]|doi=10.1086/348607|issn=0021-1753|jstor=227513|s2cid=144950413}}</ref> In 1759, the [[University of St Andrews]] awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his accomplishments.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/people-franklin-resume.htm|title=Benjamin Franklin's Resume – Independence National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref> In October 1759, he was granted [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Borough]] of [[St Andrews]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Kate Kennedy Club|url=http://www.katekennedyclub.org.uk/news.aspx#19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327111941/http://katekennedyclub.org.uk/news.aspx|archive-date=March 27, 2009|access-date=September 21, 2009|publisher=The Kate Kennedy Club}}</ref> He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by [[Oxford University]] in 1762. Because of these honors, he was often addressed as "{{abbr|Dr.|Doctor}} Franklin."<ref name="Britannica" />

While living in London in 1768, [[Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet|he developed a phonetic alphabet]] in ''A Scheme for a new Alphabet and a Reformed Mode of Spelling''. This reformed alphabet discarded six letters he regarded as redundant (c, j, q, w, x, and y), and substituted six new letters for sounds he felt lacked letters of their own. This alphabet never caught on, and he eventually lost interest.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Benjamin Franklin's Phonetic Alphabet|url=https://omniglot.com/writing/franklin.htm|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=omniglot.com}}</ref>