Which scientist demonstrated in 1752 that lightning is electrical using a kite experiment?

Benjamin Franklin demonstrated in 1752 that lightning is electrical using a kite experiment.

Franklin’s experiment involved flying a kite with a conducting wire during a thunderstorm and observing electrical effects near the kite string. The famous account says he used a key to draw a spark after the string became charged. The experiment supported his proposal that lightning and the sparks produced by electrical machines were the same kind of phenomenon.

The experiment is often confused with Franklin’s invention of the lightning rod. His electrical investigations helped establish that a pointed conductor could safely draw charge from a storm cloud, leading to practical protection for buildings.

The precise details of the kite experiment are debated by historians, and repeating it would be extremely dangerous. Franklin’s broader conclusion—that lightning is electrical—was confirmed by later scientific work and remains historically important.