2016-06-15 Wed

On this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin successfully carried out the Electricity experiment that changed the future of mankind. Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm and collected a charge in a Leyden jar demonstrating the electrical nature of lightning.

Electricity was on people’s mind since the early 1700s. However, despite of many experiments scientists could not reach up to a satisfactory conclusion. Like other scientists, Benjamin Franklin was too, curious by it. Eventually, he came up with an idea which concerned electricity and lightning.

Noticing several similarities between the two, Benjamin Franklin decided to carry out this particular experiment. This one involved a key and a kite. He came up with an idea of a kite attached to a key and a silk ribbon in a thunderstorm.

Benjamin Franklin first shocked himself in 1746, while conducting experiments on electricity. Six years later and exactly 264 years before, Franklin effectively trapped lightning in a jar. Franklin's research proved to be fairly foundational that changed the future of mankind.

US post and UK post issued special commemorative stamp to honour this event. On the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society, Royal Mail had released ten 1st class commemoratives featuring significant Royal Society figures with their achievements. One of them features Benjamin Franklin with Electricity.

On the other hand, the 1956 US stamp honours the 250th anniversary of his birth. This stamp with the value of 30 cents shows Franklin conducting his famous kite experiment.