Benjamin Franklin’s legendary ‘kite experiment’ supposedly took place on 10th June, 1752, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the traditional account, the future Founding Father flew a kite fitted with a metal key into a storm cloud to prove that it contained electricity, leading to the creation of the lightning rod ⚡

Historians, however, point out there is no detailed contemporary record proving that events unfolded exactly as later retellings claimed, and, in fact, Franklin never explicitly stated in print that he had personally carried out the dramatic version of the experiment. Perhaps the iconic image survives partly because, like Newton’s falling apple, it captures a complicated scientific idea in a single memorable scene.

Regardless, lightning rods soon spread across Europe and North America, and the kite story is just one chapter in Franklin’s remarkably varied life. Alongside his scientific investigations, he worked as a printer, helped establish one of America’s first volunteer fire brigades, invented bifocal spectacles, and created the glass armonica, a bizarre musical instrument whose sound fascinated composers including Mozart and Beethoven.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover eighteenth century circus-style electricity sideshows; explain how Franklin helped popularise the "positive" and "negative" terms for electrical charge; and reveal why King George III’s preference for blunt lightning rods ignited a UK/US rod rivalry…

Further Reading:

• ‘Benjamin Franklin and the Kite Experiment’ (The Franklin Institute): https://fi.edu/en/science-and-education/benjamin-franklin/kite-key-experiment

• ‘Founding Father of Invention’ (The Washington Post, 2012): https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2012/03/21/founding-father-of-invention/

• ‘Did Lightning Strike Benjamin Franklin's Kite? | MythBusters’ (Discovery, 2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISRl3WEuU-s

#Discoveries #1700s #US #Science

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.

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