One is a short letter written in October of that same year by Franklin to Collinson, reproduced in The Philadelphia Gazette (with some textual differences). The spark resulted from the kite/key system being in a strong electric field.Īccording to Moura, there are two primary historical sources for the aforementioned details about the kite experiment. Contrary to popular myth, Franklin wasn't struck by lightning if he had been, he likely would not have survived. This proved that lightning was static electricity. He pressed his knuckle to the key and was rewarded with an electric spark. Eventually, Franklin observed the loose filaments of twine “stand erect,” indicating electrification. Franklin’s son, then 21, assisted him in raising the kite, and they settled down to wait. Next, Franklin stood under a shed roof to ensure he held a dry portion of the silk string to keep it from becoming conductive. Joining the hemp and silk strings was a metal key. Also attached to the hemp was a silk string held by Franklin. Hemp string was attached to the bottom of the kite to provide conductivity and attached to a Leyden jar by a thin metal wire. He attached a wire to the top of the kite to serve as a makeshift lightning rod. The established account goes something like this: Anticipating a thunderstorm in June 1752, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Franklin built a kite out of two strips of cedar nailed together in the shape of a cross or “X,” with a large silk handkerchief forming the body, since silk could withstand the wet and wind of a thunderstorm. It seems Franklin didn't know about these attempts when he devised his simpler kite experiment along similar conceptual lines. And he once infamously shocked himself while trying to kill a turkey with electricity. And he devised a game dubbed "Treason," whereby he wired up a portrait of King George so that anyone who touched the monarch's crown would be shocked. He designed a fake spider suspended by two electrified wires so that it seemed to swing back and forth of its own accord. He would have guests rub a tube to create static and then have them kiss, producing an electrical shock. He soon started a correspondence with a British botanist named Peter Collinson and began reproducing some of Spencer's impressive parlor tricks in his own home. His scientific interest was piqued in 1743 when he saw a demonstration by scientist/showman Archibald Spencer, known for performing various amusing parlor tricks involving electricity. But most of those classic illustrations are riddled with historical errors, according to a new paper published in the journal Science and Education.įranklin's explorations into electricity began as he was approaching 40 years old after his thriving career as an entrepreneur in the printing business. That's largely due to many iconic illustrations commemorating the event that found their way into the popular imagination and became part of our shared cultural lore. Most Americans are familiar with the story of Benjamin Franklin and his famous 18th-century experiment in which he attached a metal key to a kite during a thunderstorm to see if the lightning would pass through the metal.
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