9781422280256

Benjamin Franklin and his son flying a kite during an electrical storm.

Benjamin Franklin and the Lightning Rod In colonial America, Boston got its first fire brigade in the same year as London—1680. The firefighters were paid to put out fires, but in 1735, Benjamin Franklin had a different idea. He formed the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia, believing that putting out fires should be a public duty. Franklin was also worried by the thatched straw roofs most Americans put on their houses. It was far too easy for sparks or embers from chimneys to set the roofs on fire. Another prob- lem was lightning strikes that hit the roofs during thunderstorms and set them ablaze. To stop this from happening, Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod. This makes the lightning discharge into the ground and prevents it from setting houses on fire.

P utting O ut F ires : F irefighters

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