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Dec 28, 2021 · Did Franklin really discover electricity by flying a kite with a key during a storm? Learn about the history, controversy and significance of his famous experiment.
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The experiment was first proposed in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin, who reportedly conducted the experiment with the assistance of his son William. The experiment's purpose was to investigate the nature of lightning and electricity, which were not yet understood.
- Franklin Didn't Write Much About The Experiment
- Ben Franklin Didn't Discover Electricity
- Ben Franklin Didn't Get Struck by Lightning
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Everything we know about Franklin’s kite and key experiment comes from two sources. The first is a letter Franklin wrote to his friend Peter Collinson in October 1752 that was published in the The Pennsylvania Gazette and read before the Royal Society. The second is a section of Joseph Priestley’s 1767 book History and Present Status of Electricity...
Electricity was already a known phenomenon during the mid-18th century. There were, however, debates about the nature of this phenomenon, and Franklin was one of a group of philosophers and scientists who theorized that lightning was a form of electricity. In March 1750, Franklin wrote a letter to his friend Collinson about his idea for a lightning...
So what would this experiment have actually looked like? Although many artists have tried to depict it, “most of the pictures and drawings that you see depicting Franklin in this experiment are inaccurate,” says Harold D. Wallace Jr., a curator in the division of work and industry at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. “They show F...
Learn about the legend of Franklin's kite and key experiment, which may not have happened as we think. Find out how Franklin proved that lightning was a form of electricity and invented the lightning rod.
- Becky Little
- 42 min
Learn how Franklin used a kite, a key, and a Leyden jar to show the connection between lightning and electricity in 1752. Find out the details, sources, and myths of his famous experiment.
Learn how Franklin contributed to our understanding of electricity by discovering its common element, fluid nature, and positive and negative charges. Find out the terms he coined and the experiments he performed with a kite and a key.
Mar 28, 2016 · Learn how Benjamin Franklin studied electricity with Leyden jars, kites and lightning rods. See his letters and diagrams on his discoveries and theories about electricity and lightning.
Jan 4, 2002 · Learn how Benjamin Franklin proved the identity of lightning and electricity by flying a kite with a key in a thunderstorm. Read his original account of the experiment and his instructions for building lightning rods to protect buildings and ships.
