![]() ![]() The realization that electricity and lightning were the same had immediate repercussions, both practically and scientifically. The result? Franklin proved the presence of electricity as lightning. The charge was collected in a Leyden jar, an antique electrical component capable of storing a high-voltage electric charge that could be released at a later date. Franklin touched the key, causing the threads on the string to stand on end. ![]() Instead, the kite encountered small amounts of electricity collected in the storm clouds. How did they escape with their lives? No lightning hit the kite. Franklin and the Lightning RodĪn experiment fraught with incredible danger, Franklin and his son risked electrocution. In June, he and his son William flew a kite with a key tied to the string in a thunderstorm. Franklin grew impatient and decided to proceed without it. By the spring of 1752, though, the steeple remained unfinished. ![]() Initially, Franklin planned on conducting his test from Christ Church steeple, still under construction. So, Franklin likely never knew these European scientists beat him to the punchline as he prepared his own trial. It took time for news of these tests to reach the New World. In the process, they successfully demonstrated that lightning was electricity. In Belgium and England, scientists followed suit. A Eureka Momentįrench scientist, Thomas-François D’Alibard, successfully proved Franklin’s hypothesis in May 1752, using a 50-foot-long vertical rod. The publication ushered in experimentation by European scientists fascinated with Franklin’s hypothesis, leading to death by electrocution for at least one researcher. Collinson published Franklin’s epistle in 1751. Franklin described it in a letter to British inventor, Peter Collinson, who lived in London. To further confirm his observations, Franklin devised the famed experiment using a kite and a key. His conclusion? Lightning was a form of static electricity.Īn artistic representation of Benjamin Franklin flying a kite in a lightning storm. He also noted that both crackled and had the power to kill animals. Both appeared as light and in forked arcs. He also made observations about lightning and electricity, finding clear parallels. ![]() Soon, he moved beyond entertainment, encouraged by accounts of experiments coming out of Europe. Traveling electricians toured the country, amusing people with their shows. From Traveling Electricians to Flying Kites Most saw it as a peculiar phenomenon suited for parlor tricks. This brush with death highlighted the strange relationship people had with electricity. Unfortunately, he ended up electrocuting himself instead, falling to the ground in convulsions. One evening, Franklin attempted to electrocute a turkey for a crowd of boisterous guests. Franklin’s wife, Deborah, felt terrified by the alarms and gadgets illuminating her hallway and filling it with noise during storms. At other times, huge arcs of electricity the size of an index finger lit up the staircase. When small sparks jumped between the wires, the bells rang softly. When electricity filled the atmosphere, Franklin rigged a group of electric bells to ring. In a letter to a friend, Franklin wrote, “On the staircase opposite my chamber door, the wire was divided, the ends separated about six inches, a little bell on each end.” Franklin’s Famous Electric Bells Using a wire leading from an iron rod attached to the chimney, he brought electricity into the house. He turned his Market Street home in Philadelphia into a veritable electrical laboratory, designing instruments crafted from household items. Benjamin Franklin coined these terms and introduced others, including: Solving the Problem of Attractionĭuring the 18 th century Enlightenment, scientists struggled to understand electricity’s natural properties, such as attraction and repulsion. Here’s the real story about the experiment that changed the world. Nevertheless, Franklin contributed significantly to our modern understanding of electricity. The word “electron” even stems from a Greek word for amber. Thales even conducted experiments by rubbing wool against amber. Ancient Greeks, such as Thales of Miletus, who died around 546 BC, knew about static electricity. There’s just one problem with this portrayal. ![]()
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