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than water, as was believed. He found that jars could be made of any material. However, the amount of
electricity stored would depend on the type of material used.
Kite Experiment
One of the most famous experiments done by Benjamin Franklin
was the Kite Experiment. He attached a long wire to a kite made
of silk. He used it to draw electricity from storm clouds and charge
a Leyden Jar. Through his experiments, he proved that storm
clouds carried electricity and lightning was nothing but a heavily
charged spark of electricity. This was a path breaking discovery of
his times because in those days thunder storms and lightning
strikes caused widespread damage to wooden structures.
Franklin built a setup called Franklin Bells which served as a warning for approaching thunder clouds.
He also used the setup to collect charge and use it for other experiments.
The Lightning Rod
Franklin discovered that when a pointed object is held towards a charged object, it draws electricity from
the object. After the Kite Experiment, he wondered if a metal rod could be used to draw electricity from
the thunder clouds. That was the birth of lightning rod!! He constructed the first lightning rod to be
installed at tops of buildings. These rods transferred the sudden burst of electricity discharge and passed
it to the ground through a wire without causing any damage. It is still used in buildings today. (You can
make your own mini-lightning following these instructions).
You should remember that all the electricity and electric charge we are talking about is static. i.e. there is
no flow of electric current. That came only with the invention of voltaic pile byAlessandro Volta.
Benjamin Franklin died on 17th April 1790, leaving a legacy of inventions to be used and refined upon
by others. A few of his inventions, other than those mentioned above, include bifocals, street lights,
Franklin stove, glass armonica, and the carriage odometer.
Electricity generation - whether from fossil fuels, nuclear, renewable fuels, or other sources - is based on
the fact that:
Electricity is a basic part of our life and it is one of our most widely used forms of energy. We get
electricity, which is a secondary energy source, from the conversion of other sources of energy, like coal,
natural gas, oil, nuclear power and other natural sources, which are called primary sources.