Lightning

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Lightning over Arlington County, Virginia
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Lightning over Arlington County, Virginia

Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge produced during a thunderstorm. The electric current is very hot and causes thunder. Sometime happen between clouds, sometime (in the rain) goes from cloud to ground.

[edit] Facts and trivia

  • Nearly 2000 people are struck by lightning each year around the world - about a quarter of these are killed.
  • A bolt of lightning can reach 28,000 degrees celsius (50,000 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • The Empire State Building is struck by lightning about 100 times each year, and was once struck 15 times in 15 minutes.
  • The chance of a person living in the USA being struck by lightning is about 1 in 280,000.

Benjamin Franklin was fascinated by lightning and its properties. His curiosity in lightning led to breakthrough discoveries, many which are still in practice to this day.

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