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The first six months after Boris Johnson won the landslide Conservative victory at the general election in December 2019 â and settled into his home at Downing Street â were seismic by any measure. Noone could quite believe it when the next thing happened, BBC news alerts ever-flashing on phones to relay the evolving narrative. He won, he appointed his cabinet, he got engaged to former Tory spin doctor (and girlfriend) Carrie Symonds, they announced Carrieâs pregnancy, Covid struck, Johnson began his televised press briefings, Johnson got Covid, Johnsonâs condition worsened and he was moved to ICU, Johnson survived, Carrie had her baby (and they named the baby boy after the staff who cared for Johnson in intensive care).
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Some of Benjamin Franklin’s accomplishments his kite experiment, establishing the first American subscription library, and signing the Declaration of Independence are pretty iconic. Here are 10 of Franklin’s lesser-known contributions to society that are worth celebrating as well.
1. Benjamin Franklin was an excellent swimmer.
As a youngster, Franklin learned to swim in Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River and became somewhat of an expert. On a Thames River boating trip with friends, a 19-year-old Franklin jumped into the river and swam from Chelsea to Blackfriars (around 3.5 miles), performing all sorts of water tricks along the way or, as he described it, “…many feats of activity, both upon and under the water, that surprised and pleased those to whom they were novelties.” Franklin’s Phelpsian feats earned him an honorary induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968.
The account has also shared two IGTVs of a video call conversation between the Duchess and Mackesy, in which the pair chat about his writing. The Duchess praises his book as something to ‘make friends happier’, relating that she’s ‘read it so many times’ and calling it ‘an easy read but a deep read’. Other posts so far include an image of a copy of
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse standing pride of place in the library at Clarence House, as well as special insights like illustrations and audiobook extracts.
Ahead of the official launch of Camilla’s project on 15 January, an Instagram last Friday announced: ‘One week to go! Join us next Friday at 11am when we reveal the four books The Duchess has chosen for Season One of The Reading Room.’ The next post offers details of ‘a Book Club Kit’ for each book, consisting of ‘a set of questions you can use to explore the themes of the book and spark discussions with friends.’