This Day in History:
Benjamin Franklin Flies
a Kite During Thunderstorm June 10, 1752 Decades before signing the
Declaration of Independence,
Franklin spent nearly ten years
conducting electricity experiments. While flying his kite in the storm,
the U.S. founding father was able
to collect an ambient electrical
charge in a leyden jar. Among other things, making
the connection between lightning
and electricity led to Franklin's
invention of the lightning rod. By the time of the
experiment, Franklin
was already a successful
businessman and politician. His career as a statesman
before, during and after
the American Revolution
spanned several decades. One of the leading figures
of the Age of Enlightenment,
Franklin died in 1790 at the age of 84.