Fast Facts about Lightning

• the average flash of lightning could turn on a 100 watt bulb for 3 months
• the air near where the lightning strikes is hotter than the sun's surface
• chances of bing hit by lightning are 1 in 600 000
• in thepast 10 years, more than 15000 people have been hit by lightning
• the rapid heating and cooling of air where lightning occurs causes thunder
• there are about 250kWh in a bolt of lightning
• the person most struck by lightning was Roy Sullivan, he was hit 7 times
• ancient people used to divine using lightning
• they used this as an excuse to postpone performing unwanted tasks
• in medieval europe it was general practice to ring the church bell vigorously to ward off lightning.
• during the years from 1753 ro 1786 lightning struck 386 french bell towers, killer 103 bell ringers
• the french government outlawed the custom in 1786
• gunpowder was stored in churches, which were sometimes struck by lightning, resulting in large explosions.
• in 1769 a lightning bolt struck a church containg 100 tons of gun powder, destroying one sixth of the city and killing 3000 people
• in 1856 lightning struck another church, killing nearly 4000 people
• 1753, Franklin published a discription of the lightning rod
• some viewed the rod as a danger, despite its success in saving lives, so blunt rods were used instead of pointed ones
• the despit continues even today
• and finally, lightning is cool, and very amusing, we should get Ben to explain teslicoils to us next time...