ON Musk with Walter Isaacson

Kaleidoscope
  • 3.5 (290)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • SERIES
ON Musk with Walter Isaacson

He didn’t have a role in Hamilton, but America wouldn’t be the same without him!  From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Mastermind, co-host of the beloved Longform podcast) comes a behind the scenes look at the story of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped our national character.  From Franklin’s adventures as a mischievous apprentice, to his evolution over 84 years into America’s best writer, inventor,scientist, diplomat, and business strategist… as well as Founding Father, Isaacson covers everything from the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac to the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence; not to mention, how a former slave owner evolved into the shepherd of a near-perfect Constitution.  In this intimate behind the scenes interview, Isaacson provides a look at how he came to understand Franklin’s remarkable life, how it shaped America’s national identity, and why Ben Franklin matters so much right now. 

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  1. EPISODE 1

    ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 1: Ingenuity

    From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Shell Games, Longform) comes a revealing look into the life of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped America.  In this first episode of five, we dive into the way Franklin's scientific curiosity laid the groundwork for his approach to democracy, and how his thirst for innovation not only led him to invent everything from swimming flippers to the lightning rod, but also turned him into a bona fide, worldwide celebrity—a fame he would soon wield for America's benefit.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 2: The Great American Character

    From writing under pen names in the newspaper as a teenager, to the Poor Richard maxims we all know, to the autobiography he created to show the path toward American virtues, Ben Franklin literally wrote the books on what it means to be American. But how close was the real Ben Franklin to the character he created?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 3: Industry

    Few people remember that Benjamin Franklin was America’s wealthiest self-made man. After being denied a formal education and then indentured to his own brother, he launched America's first media empire. But while Franklin could be a ruthless businessman, he was out for more than himself—he knew his success was predicated on a strong middle class, a new, American idea. So he started civic ventures like fire departments, street sweepers, and public libraries. But it wasn't until he became a postmaster that he realized why the colonies needed to band together as a nation.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 4: The Statesman

    After retiring at the age of 42, Ben Franklin immersed himself in politics, taking on enormous diplomatic challenges on behalf of Pennsylvania and the colonies. In this episode, we dive into Franklin the talented statesman-- a man who emerged from his mission in England with a taste for revenge, charmed the French into supporting a burgeoning nation, and somehow found time to get involved in every revolutionary tract-- from Common Sense to the Constitution... in between playing chess in the bathtub!    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    38 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 5: Legacy

    In this final episode of our series, host Evan Ratliff and biographer Walter Isaacson discuss Benjamin Franklin's remarkable late-in-life achievements-- from his last anonymous essay, to the way he empowered George Washington, to his evolution on slavery, to the beautiful way Philadelphia mourned its favorite son... oh, and they discuss Ben Franklin's favorite magic trick, too!    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min
  6. Introducing Season 2: ON Benjamin Franklin with Walter Isaacson

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Introducing Season 2: ON Benjamin Franklin with Walter Isaacson

    Introducing ON Benjamin Franklin with Walter Isaacson - an intimate behind the scenes interview to understand Benjamin Franklin’s remarkable life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min
See All Season 2 (6)

Trailers

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About

He didn’t have a role in Hamilton, but America wouldn’t be the same without him!  From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Mastermind, co-host of the beloved Longform podcast) comes a behind the scenes look at the story of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped our national character.  From Franklin’s adventures as a mischievous apprentice, to his evolution over 84 years into America’s best writer, inventor,scientist, diplomat, and business strategist… as well as Founding Father, Isaacson covers everything from the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac to the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence; not to mention, how a former slave owner evolved into the shepherd of a near-perfect Constitution.  In this intimate behind the scenes interview, Isaacson provides a look at how he came to understand Franklin’s remarkable life, how it shaped America’s national identity, and why Ben Franklin matters so much right now. 

Information

  • Channel
    Kaleidoscope
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
  • Episodes
    11
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    ON Musk with Walter Isaacson

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