On this day in history, June 10, 1752, Benjamin Franklin reportedly flew a kite during a thunderstorm, with the goal of collecting ambient electrical charge in a Leyden jar — a container that could ...

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 ...

From the Smithsonian magazine archives, some of our favorite reader questions about our nation's founding upon its 250th birthday. Q: Did Benjamin Franklin really fly a kite in a thunderstorm? Thanks ...

You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. On June 10th, 1752, Benjamin Franklin did a very dangerous thing. He flew a ...

Let’s talk about the kite and the lightning storm. In the public’s mind, Benjamin Franklin’s scientific work has largely been reduced to this one experiment, in which Franklin demonstrated that ...

PHILADELPHIA -- Legend has it that 250 years ago this month, Benjamin Franklin sailed a kite and a key into a stormy Philadelphia sky and made a shocking discovery: Lightning is a form of electricity.

Franklin studied electricity and proved lightning’s electrical nature with a key and kite. Franklin made groundbreaking discoveries in his study of electricity. He wrote up his observations and ...