Benjamin Franklin's Kite Experiment, 1752
Franklin's kite experiment "..when the string was thoroughly wet, abundance of electricity was " He showed that lightning is electricity by flying a kite carrying a metal key during a thunderstorm. This led to his invention of the lightning rod to protect buildings from lightning strikes. Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 - April 17, 1790) was an author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat. He was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He personified the American ethos; practical, democratic values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment. He died on April 17, 1790, at age 84. Approximately 20,000 people attended his funeral. This image has been color-enhanced.
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