Ben's Birthday Bash

Actor Ralph Archbold portrays Benjamin Franklin as confetti falls to the ground Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Philadelphia, during a party to celebrate Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday. Philadelphia is the celebratory hub, boasting a 42-page full-color guide to 85 events that include Ben's Birthday Bash at the National Liberty Museum and a gala parade to his grave.

Gov. Ed Rendell, second from right, lights the final candle on an 8-foot-high, three-tiered birthday cake Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, in Philadelphia, during a party celebrating Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday.

Actor Ralph Archbold, second from right, portraying Benjamin Franklin, puts out electric candles on a three-tiered birthday cake made mostly of wood and plastic, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia during a party celebrating Franklin's 300th birthday.

Coins in the shape of "300" are placed on the grave of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah, in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006. Events are being held around Philadelphia to mark his 300th birthday.

Members of the public visit the grave of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah, in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, to mark Franklin's 300th birthday.

Bill Robling, an actor who portrays Ben Franklin, talks about his experiences for the past four years attending special events as Franklin, Jan. 5, 2006, in Philadelphia.

A poster of Benjamin Franklin hangs behind impersonator Bill Meikle of Arlington, Mass., as he talks about the life of Benjamin Franklin at the Franklin Library in Franklin, Mass., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006.

A boy holds a replica of the new commemorative Ben Franklin coin, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, during a party celebrating his 300th birthday. A special exhibit about Franklin's life runs at the center through April 30.

An exterior view of Benjamin Franklin's house, restored by English Heritage, on Craven Street in central London, Monday, Jan 16, 2006. Benjamin Franklin's only surviving home was unveiled as a museum Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, the 300th anniversary of the American founding father's birth.

The Franklin Parlour in Benjamin Franklin's restored house on Craven Street in central London is shown Monday, Jan 16, 2006. Meg Faragher, dressed as Poly Stevenson, the daughter of Franklin's landlady, will act as a tour guide to the house. Franklin's only surviving home was unveiled as a museum Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006.

The London home of Benjamin Franklin was unveiled as a museum on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, the 300th anniversary of his birth. Visitors can tour the parlor and other rooms, like the medical history room, shown, and see Franklin's discoveries for themselves.

Interior designer Marty Jopson looks at some bones and other artifacts found during the restoration of Benjamin Franklin's only remaining home, in central London, Monday, Jan 16, 2006. The house, which curators call the "first de facto U.S. Embassy," was the site of many of Franklin's scientific experiments, including the invention of bifocal glasses.