Focuses on Ben Franklin's role as an inventor of whimsical gadgets and practical contraptions, with an emphasis on his experiments of flying a kite during a rain storm.
Many of Newton Starker's ancestors, including his mother, have been killed by lightning strikes, so when he enrolls at the eccentric Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, he tries to be a model student so that he can avoid the same fate.
Examines the truth and myth surrounding Benjamin Franklin's kite-flying experiment in electrical science. Describes the competitive scientific field in the mid-eighteenth century during which English and French rivals tried to out-do Franklin's international success. Presents the viewpoint that Franklin never flew the kite at all and was a prankster who outwitted the competition.
Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod and the invention of America
Dray, Philip
2005
A biography of Benjamin Franklin detailing his scientific accomplishments and the role he played in shaping American government and democracy. Draws parallels between Franklin's curiosity of science and the early United States' quest to establish a national identity.
Photographs and easy-to-follow text help readers understand what causes thunder and lightening, explaining what thunder is, why thunder and lightening always occur together, and how thunderstorms work.
Mother Nature unleashes spectacular natural phenomena as Jay, Elisha and Tyler witness the inner workings of Niagra Falls, an actual lightning storm, and try to get out of the way of an avalanche.
Describes the risks of lightning, thunderstorm winds, and flash floods, and how to stay safe, including strategies for those who work outdoors, lightning myths, and survival stories.
