Lightning rod
Pararrayos
- Date
- 1752-1753 · confidence high
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Credited to
- Benjamin Franklin (proposed 1750, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1753); the Marly experiment (Dalibard, 1752)
- People
- 👤 Benjamin Franklin1706–1790
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A pointed metal rod connected to earth, conducting a lightning discharge without damaging the building, derived from Franklin's theory that lightning is electricity. The first practical application of electrical science.
Although dated 1752, it closes out the period. Prokop Diviš installed an independent lightning rod in Moravia (1754). It sits right at the edge of the 1450–1750 period, but it is the culmination of Renaissance-era electricity.
What it led to
- Science as a public utility and the prestige of the American Enlightenment
- The debate over pointed or blunt rods and the politicisation of science
- The protection of churches, powder magazines and ships
- The concept of earthing
Built on
Made possible
- Diviš's lightning conductor (meteorological machine)1754
- Stepped leader of lightning1933-1935
- Zinc-oxide varistor1968-1971
- Electrical earthing
- Surge protection