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Bucky

(55,334 posts)

6. The thing about Benjamin Franklin and the kite. Dude totally made it up.

Reply to Dash87 (Original post)

Wed May 8, 2013, 02:10 PM

May 2013

It was a convoluted way of saying "fuck off and die" to a guy in the Royal Society in London who was taking credit for Franklin's electricity experiments. Somehow the letter Ben wrote got out into the 18th C scientific circles... and one Russian amateur scientist who attempted a variation on the experiment got struck by lightning and incinerated. Ouch. After he heard about the incident, Franklin quietly disavowed the story.

Recommended book on the subject ==>

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Things you thought were true, but later found out weren't. [View all] Dash87 May 2013 OP

That if I worked hard and played the game right Newest Reality May 2013 #1

If anyone is to blame for such beliefs, it may be the grammer school teachers. Not to worry, though. AnotherMcIntosh May 2013 #3

If they're not true...can they be facts? Sekhmets Daughter May 2013 #2

Ahaha. I realized that too late but was too lazy to edit, Dash87 May 2013 #4

Sorry! Sekhmets Daughter May 2013 #5

The thing about Benjamin Franklin and the kite. Dude totally made it up. Bucky May 2013 #6

I actually never knew that, but it makes sense. Dash87 May 2013 #8

The Mythbusters showed that Franklin would have been toast. Bertha Venation May 2013 #11

I also like the other guy better. I forget his name. Dash87 May 2013 #15

That the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th. Aristus May 2013 #7

Adams's famous advice to celebrate the date with fireworks was about the 2nd of July. Bucky May 2013 #9

Yeah. Every thing he said came to pass: "Fireworks, speeches, games, observances," etc. Aristus May 2013 #14

Santa Claus! ohiosmith May 2013 #10

God. darkangel218 May 2013 #12

I never realized how many inventions are incorrectly attributed to Thomas Edison. Dash87 May 2013 #13

I thought Batman was part bat... Phentex May 2013 #16

The domino theory cliffordu May 2013 #17

That who you are is written in stone. Locut0s May 2013 #18