BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S LAST BET: The Favorite Founder's Divisive Death, Enduring Afterlife, and Blueprint for American Prosperity

At the end of Franklin's life he gave the gift of 2,000 pounds to Boston and Philadelphia, to be lent out to tradesmen over the next two centuries to jump-start their careers. Each loan repaid with interested over ten years. Over time, his wager was misused, neglected, and contested, but never wholly extinguished. Photos.