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We all know the story of Franklin’s famous kite-in-a-thunderstorm experiment. But is it the true story? On a June afternoon in 1752, the sky began to darken over the city of Philadelphia.
Jun 6, 2022 · On June 10, 1752, Benjamin Franklin took a kite out during a storm to see if a key attached to the string would draw an electrical charge. Or so the story goes. In fact, historians aren’t...
Flying a kite in a storm was perhaps Benjamin Franklin’s most famous experiment that led to the invention of the lightning rod and the understanding of positive and negative charges.
The kite experiment is a scientific experiment in which a kite with a pointed conductive wire attached to its apex is flown near thunder clouds to collect static electricity from the air and conduct it down the wet kite string to the ground.
Jan 4, 2002 · At some time during 1751 or 1752 Franklin got the idea that he could send his conductor high enough by means of a kite, and that if it were flown during a thunder shower, the wet string might serve to bring the electrical charge down within reach.
Nov 24, 2009 · Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm and collects ambient electrical charge in a Leyden jar, enabling him to demonstrate the connection between lightning and electricity.
An excerpt from Carl Van Doren's definitive Ben Franklin biography, about the famous kite experiment
