The possible pre-Franklin origins of the lightning rod are vigorously debated. Around 1730 , a Russian industrialist named Akinfiy Demidov built the 189-foot-tall Leaning Tower of Nevyansk in ...

When Benjamin Franklin fashioned the first lightning rod in the 1750s following his famous experiment flying a kite with a key attached during a thunderstorm, the American inventor had no way of ...

Stealing God's Thunder Benjamin Franklin's Lightning Rod and the Invention of America Philip Dray Random House: 304 pp., $25.95 Lightning rod of Enlightenment - Los Angeles Times ...

Benjamin Franklin is credited with inventing the lightning rod, and for some 270 years it has remained the main tool for protecting buildings from destructive and potentially deadly thunderbolts ...

Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a storm and advanced humanity's understanding of electricity on this day in history, June 10, 1752. Franklin was also a U.S. statesman and founding father.

The best, most practical technology available to deflect lightning is the simple lightning rod, created by Benjamin Franklin more than 250 years ago. But lightning rods protect only a very limited ...

Whether lightning rods should have rounded or pointy ends became a point of contention between rebellious Americans and King George III. ... Benjamin Franklin of course invented the lightning rod.

Beyond that, “Benjamin Franklin” makes history flat-out fun. Advertisement. ... a more efficient post office and, most famously, the lightning rod. ...

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Benjamin Franklin fashioned the first lightning rod in the 1750s following his famous experiment flying a kite with a key attached during a ...