Zap! Play it Safe Around Electricity!

Lucky Ben Franklin enjamin Franklin experimented with electricity long before its dangers were well understood. In June 1752, he flew a kite in a thunderstorm to discover whether lightning was a form of electricity. He wanted to conduct electricity from storm clouds down the kite string into a metal key that he had tied to the string. Sure enough, the key eventually gave off an electric spark. Lucky for Franklin, his kite was just drawing static electrical charges from the air. If the kite had been struck by lighting, Franklin would have been killed! B

Lightning Changed My Son’s Life Forever Richard from Lansing, Michigan

M y son John was 17 years old and just a year away from high school graduation when he was struck by lightning. John and three friends were on the golf course when a storm came up. They took cover under a wooden shelter until the rain stopped and then started walking back to the clubhouse. John was the tallest, and he was carrying his golf clubs. The lightning struck him and trav eled through his body into the ground. His three friends were knocked unconscious, but John was injured the most.

Since the acci dent, John can’t speak, walk, or write. He can laugh

and cry, make sounds, read, hear, and understand things, but he cannot talk or move by himself. John wants you to know that if you see a storm coming or hear thunder, you should get inside. Even if you really want to stay on the ball field or golf course, leave! John is proof that lightning can strike you.

ZAP!

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