# Canonical recap data for Discovery of Electricity (1752)
# Source: https://recap.at/1752/franklin-electricity-experiment
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: franklin-electricity-experiment
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1752/franklin-electricity-experiment"
title: Discovery of Electricity
aliases:
- Franklin's kite experiment
- The kite-and-key experiment
- Lightning and electricity identification
subtitle: Franklin's kite experiment proved lightning's electrical nature, unlocking understanding of a force that would power modern civilization.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1752-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1752
decade: 1750
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: Discovery Channel, also known as simply Discovery and previously known as The Discovery Channel, is an American cable channel and the second flagship namesake asset of Warner Bros. Discovery that is best known for airing ongoing reality and educational programming.
summaryLong: Discovery Channel, also known as simply Discovery and previously known as The Discovery Channel, is an American cable channel and the second flagship namesake asset of Warner Bros. Discovery that is best known for airing ongoing reality and educational programming.
lede: In June 1752, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm in Philadelphia and proved that lightning was electricity—one of the most consequential experiments in scientific history. By drawing sparks from a key attached to the kite string, Franklin bridged the gap between natural phenomena and electrical theory, fundamentally reshaping how humans understood the physical world.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/02/A_Discovery_of_Witches_%28TV_series%29.png/330px-A_Discovery_of_Witches_%28TV_series%29.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "A Discovery of Witches (TV series)"
importance: 87
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Year
  value: "1752"
- label: Month
  value: June
- label: Location
  value: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- label: Experimenter
  value: Benjamin Franklin
- label: Method
  value: Kite with key attached to string flown during thunderstorm
- label: Key finding
  value: Lightning and electricity are the same phenomenon
- label: Direct consequence
  value: Franklin invented the lightning rod in 1753
timeline:
- date: 1600-01-01
  title: Early electrical theory
  description: William Gilbert coins the term 'electricity' from the Greek word for amber (elektron), but the nature of lightning remains mysterious.
- date: 1700-01-01
  title: 18th-century electrical experiments
  description: European natural philosophers conduct early experiments with static electricity and Leyden jars, but no connection to lightning is established.
- date: 1752-06-01
  title: Franklin's kite experiment
  description: Benjamin Franklin flies a kite during a thunderstorm near Philadelphia, drawing electrical sparks from a key attached to the wet string, proving lightning is electrical discharge.
- date: 1752-10-01
  title: First publication
  description: Franklin's account of the experiment is published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, making the discovery public.
- date: 1753-01-01
  title: Lightning rod invention
  description: Franklin develops and installs the first lightning rods on buildings in Philadelphia, directly applying his discovery to practical safety.
- date: 1776-01-01
  title: Broader scientific acceptance
  description: By the American Revolution, Franklin's electrical theories are accepted across the scientific community and lightning protection becomes standard practice.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Channel"
  title: Discovery Channel
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Franklin's 1752 experiment wasn't just a dramatic proof of concept—it opened the door to electrical science as a serious discipline. The work led directly to practical inventions like the lightning rod, grounded electricity's fundamental principles, and ultimately made everything from telegraphs to power grids possible.
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: Benjamin Franklin's 1752 kite experiment proved lightning was electricity, launching modern electrical science.
wikidataQid: Q43404
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Pennsylvania Gazette
  publisherSlug: pennsylvania-gazette
  headline: Mr. Franklin's Experiment with the Electrical Kite Proves Lightning to be Electrical in Nature
  publishedAt: 1752-10-19
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Benjamin Franklin's daring kite experiment during a thunderstorm has demonstrated conclusively that lightning is indeed electrical in character, a discovery of profound natural philosophy that may lead to protection of buildings and lives.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Gentleman's Magazine
  publisherSlug: gentlemans-magazine
  headline: Account of Mr. B. Franklin's Electrical Kite, and the Discovery of Lightning's True Nature
  publishedAt: 1752-12-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - A detailed account from the American colonies describes how Mr. Franklin risked his person in a thunderstorm to prove that the electrical fluid discharged from clouds is the same phenomenon we call lightning, opening vast new inquiry into natural electricity.
  significance: 82
  type: magazine
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Boston News-Letter
  publisherSlug: boston-news-letter
  headline: Philadelphia Experimenter Confirms Electrical Nature of Thunderstorms - Device Proposed to Protect Houses
  publishedAt: 1752-11-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The bold experiments conducted by Mr. Franklin have attracted considerable notice in natural philosophy circles, with reports suggesting that a pointed iron rod affixed to the roof might safely conduct the electrical discharge of lightning into the earth, thereby preserving buildings from fire and ruin.
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Journal des Savants
  publisherSlug: journal-des-savants
  headline: "FR: 'Verification de la Nature Electrique de la Foudre par Monsieur Franklin' / EN: Verification of the Electrical Nature of Lightning by Mr. Franklin"
  publishedAt: 1753-03-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL available
  excerpt: "FR: 'L'experimente Americain Franklin a demontre par une experience hardie que la foudre est un phenomene electrique identique a celui produit dans les laboratoires.' / EN: The American experimenter Franklin has demonstrated through a daring experiment that lightning is an electrical phenomenon identical to that produced in laboratories."
  significance: 80
  type: magazine
  region: France
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260602151410/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Channel"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-02
  label: Discovery Channel
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Channel"
taxonomy:
domain: scientific
eventTypes:
- discovery
canonicalClasses:
- discovery
impactRadius: civilizational
velocity: gradual
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: accidental
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
