Benjamin Franklin is remembered as a writer, politician, scientist, and inventor. His discoveries related to electricity are still important to this day, and fortunately we have a better understanding of how to safely use electricity. The Energy Education Council encourages you to learn from Benjamin Franklin and practice safety around electricity.
Benjamin Franklin was fascinated by the power and mystery of electricity. He and some of his contemporaries had a theory that lightning was electricity. This led Franklin and his companions to conduct a famous experiment involving a kite and a key. During a storm, Franklin flew a kite with a key attached to the bottom. Lightning struck the kite and transferred from the kite to the key. The experiment proved that lightning was electricity.
However, Franklin’s experiment was very risky and shows us how dangerous it is to be outside during a storm. No matter how curious you are, it is never safe to go outside in severe weather, and it is especially dangerous to fly a kite in such weather. Franklin is very fortunate that he was not killed or seriously injured during his experiment.
It is important to pay attention to weather reports so you know when storms are approaching and can make plans to be inside. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from the area in which it is raining, even if you do not see clouds. This means that if you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. After a storm, wait until 30 minutes has passed without lightning or thunder before you go outside.
Franklin did have safety in mind when he invented the lightning rod. It was created to protect homes from fires started by lightning. Lightning rods are placed on the top of buildings, where they attract lightning. The rod is attached to a wire that leads to the ground, which is designed to safely dissipate lightning’s power into the ground without causing fires or house damage.
Franklin’s curiosity in electricity was spurred on by the lightning experiment. He continued to contribute to electrical discoveries over the course of his life. He coined phrases such as positive, negative, charge, and discharge that are still used to describe electricity. He helped pave the way for future electrical discoveries and inventions.
Franklin passed way in 1790 at the age of 84, but he lives on through his writings, terminology, and inventions. To learn more about electricity, the safe way, visit SafeElectricity.org.
You must be logged in to post a comment.