Lightning from Pages For Sages

Mr. Watson, in this translation of the treatise, presents a thorough summary of the Abbe Nollet's most recent work which "…contains 262 pages in 12mo, exclusive of the preface, and four copper plates, representing seventeen figures…" Most of the work appears to be directed towards electricity in the clouds, lightning, thunder and the protection of structures from lightning damage. The… Read more about this item

Mr. Eeles volunteers, in this letter, his theory of what causes thunder and what effect the thunder has on the clouds and atmosphere. During his era the nature of lightning and thunder were not understood. However, Eeles was confident that electricity was the cause of thunder and lightning. In order to prove this Eeles undertook a number of experiments in… Read more about this item

The letter basically suggests that the use of wire "lightning rods", affixed to the masts, would collect the energy of the lightning strike and carry it away without causing damage to the masts. The item is a First Edition, extracted and disbound from The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 52, For the Years 1761 & 1762, pages 629-635. This… Read more about this item

One area of difference in those studying lightning rods was whether they should terminate in a sharp point or be blunt. The Royal Society's special committee, consisting of H. Cavendish, William Watson, Benjamin Franklin and J. Robertson was appointed to study this issue and report back to the Royal Society. They recommended pointed rods. An attachment to that report, by… Read more about this item