This Day in History: , Benjamin Franklin Flies a Kite During Thunderstorm.
June 10, 1752.
Decades before signing the Declaration of Independence, Franklin spent nearly ten years conducting electricity experiments.
While flying his kite in the storm, the U.S. Founding Father was able to collect an ambient electrical charge in a leyden jar.
Among other things, making the connection between lightning and electricity led to Franklin's invention of the lightning rod.
By the time of the experiment, Franklin was already a successful businessman and politician.
His career as a statesman before, during and after the American Revolution spanned several decades.
One of the leading figures of the Age of Enlightenment, Franklin died in 1790 at the age of 84