Franklin Slept Here

Compared to the aristocratic homes of other U.S. founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin's house at 36 Craven Street in London is downright modest. George Washington inhabited a grand estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson built Monticello, an elegant mansion, in the same state. But for 15 years, Franklin was a tenant in a simple four-story Georgian brick row house on a street off the Strand near Trafalgar Square. The house's interior is handsome but spare, reflecting the thrifty nature of the man who popularized the proverb, "A penny saved is a penny earned." On Jan. 17, the 300th anniversary of...