We're a day late on this, which surely would have disappointed the focus of today's Today in STEM: Benjamin Franklin. After all, Ben was the one who said, "You may delay, but time will not." Ben Franklin was born on this (yester)day, January 17, in 1706. 

Endlessly curious and observant, Franklin was a true American original -- a printer, politician, diplomat, civic leader, writer, and, most importantly for our purposes, scientist, inventor, and statistician. While most famous for "discovering" electricity with a key tied to the end of a kite (or not), Franklin also made major contributions to the nascent field of population studies, made strides in oceonography and meteorology, and performed early research into thermodynamics and temperature -- he  discovered the properties that eventually led to refrigeration. He was immensely practical, and invented items ranging from bifocals to swimming fins. Franklin did not graduate high school but helped found one of the first American universities. 

While not related to his scientific and mathematical acumen, Franklin also used his keen mind to make observations on human behavior. Many of his pithy sayings are for the ages. They include: 

• Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise
• A penny saved is a penny earned
• Well done is better than well said
• Those who surrender freedom for security deserve neither