When was lightning first understood?

Ben Franklin (1706-1790) was an American with many talents. He was a printer, scientist and politician who played an important part in founding the United States.

He discovered the nature of lightning while flying a kite during a thunderstorm. Franklin noticed sparks jumping from a key tied to the end of the wet string. This could very easily have killed him, but it did not. He went on to invent the lightning conductor, a strip of copper that is run from the top of a building to the ground in order that lightning can earth itself safely.

Lightning is a significant weather hazard and occurs at an average rate of 50 to 100 discharges per second. Lightning rods and metallic conductors can be used to protect a structure by intercepting and diverting the lightning current into the ground as harmlessly as possible. When lightning is likely to occur, people are advised to stay indoors or in a car, away from open doors and windows and to avoid contact with any electrical appliances or plumbing that might be exposed to the outside environment.

Fact File

A lightning conductor is a metal rod that is placed so that it points upwards above the highest point of a tall building. If lightning does strike the building, it is the conductor, not the building itself, that the spark hits.

 

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