WHEN WERE THEY INVENTED?
The inspiration for the invention of lightning rods came in the 18th century, when scientist and Founding Father of the United States Benjamin Franklin was flying a kite during a storm. After lightning struck and burned the kite, Franklin began to research how to attract lightning and control its path. In 1752 he added a metal key to his kite and discovered that the lightning would travel down to the metal key. This proved the attraction of lightning to metal, and because the discharge of electricity stopped at the metal, it served as protection for the surrounding materials. One year later, Franklin put his findings to practical use when the first metal lightning rods were installed in the US.