Get ready to have your mind blown! You may think you know all about Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite experiment, but according to a new paper published in the journal Science and Education, most of the classic illustrations we’ve seen are riddled with historical errors. While most Americans are familiar with the story of Franklin attaching a metal key to a kite during a thunderstorm to see if the lightning would pass through the metal, there’s so much more to the story.
Franklin’s interest in electricity began after he saw a demonstration by scientist/showman Archibald Spencer, known for performing various amusing parlor tricks involving electricity. From there, Franklin began reproducing some of Spencer’s impressive parlor tricks in his own home, including a game dubbed “Treason,” whereby he wired up a portrait of King George so that anyone who touched the monarch’s crown would be shocked. And he once infamously shocked himself while trying to kill a turkey with electricity.
But Franklin’s most famous experiment involved a kite, a silk handkerchief, a wire, and a metal key. Contrary to popular myth, Franklin wasn’t struck by lightning; if he had been, he likely would not have survived. Instead, he observed the loose filaments of twine “stand erect,” indicating electrification. He pressed his knuckle to the key and was rewarded with an electric spark. This proved that lightning was static electricity.
But did you know that there’s no record of Franklin performing his sentry-box experiment? A Frenchman named Thomas-Francois D’Alibard read Franklin’s published paper and used a 50-foot-long vertical rod to perform his version of the sentry-box experiment in Paris on May 10, 1752. Others across Europe soon followed suit. It was a rather dangerous experiment, as evidenced by the unfortunate Georg Wilhelm Richmann. He also attempted to reproduce the experiment, but a glowing ball of charge traveled down the string, jumped to his forehead, and killed him instantly—perhaps the first documented instance of ball lightning.
So, there you have it. The story of Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiment is even more fascinating than we thought. And now, thanks to this new paper, we can separate fact from fiction and truly appreciate the genius of one of America’s founding fathers.
Recently, research conducted by the Smithsonian Institute concluded that popular depictions of Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite experiment contain numerous errors.
The famed scientist conducted his experiment in 1752 in order to demonstrate that lightning is electricity. He famously flew a kite with a metal key attached to it in a thunderstorm and allowed an electric charge to flow through a silk string connected to the key. Despite the importance of this event, Franklin’s experiment has been misrepresented in numerous popular depictions throughout history.
The Smithsonian Institute’s investigation revealed that popular images and works of art of the experiment often depict an incorrect setting, misrepresenting weather elements such as clouds and lightning. In addition, Franklin’s figure is routinely portrayed wearing a metal-based costume, playing in to the notion of a “mad scientist” stereotype, when in reality Franklin wore protective clothing made of non-conductive materials.
The popular images also misrepresented the design of Franklin’s kite and its position relative to the thunderstorm. Franklin’s kite had a simple cross-spar and a tether of braided silk, while the popular depictions showed a much shallower kite with wingspans more than double the actual length. In addition, while Franklin’s kite was flown during a thunderstorm, images routinely showed the kite flying within a completely cloudless sky.
Finally, reports revealed that popular older images of the kite experiment often showcased a false narrative of two men holding the kite together during the experiment. However, Franklin conducted the experiment exclusively by himself according to reports.
In light of the numerous and repeated errors and mis-truths, the Smithsonian Institute’s report concluded that popular depictions of Franklin’s kite experiment have been largely inaccurate, and should not be used as any sort of definitive depiction.
