Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimpy
Good point........How much wiring was in a house in 1752 to attract lightning???
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When a stroke leader begins its millisecond journey down to earth from the thunder cloud it is seeking the least resistance path to ground. It makes no difference if a structure has electricity or not the strike may cause a fire in combustible materials. In 1752 Benjamin Franklin did his famous kite experiment that led to the birth of lightning rods. Lightning was a problem for the colonists and the Europeans as well. Lightning rods were first installed on buildings in Philadelphia in the summer of 1752, and would soon be adopted in some European counties as well. Franklin reported years later that his own house was struck and saved by his own invention.