Historedia
EuropeEvent

Dalibard's kite experiment

When
1752
Where
Marly-la-Ville, Northern France
Episodes
1

In May 1752, Thomas-François Dalibard successfully demonstrated the electrical nature of lightning at Marly-la-Ville. Using a 40-foot iron rod rather than a kite, he extracted sparks from a cloud, validating Benjamin Franklin's theoretical proposals for attracting atmospheric electricity.

Episodes

  1. May 1752 · Marly-la-Ville, Northern FranceIron Rod Lightning Attraction

    Dalibard used a 40-foot iron rod at Marly-la-Ville to extract electrical sparks from a cloud in May 1752.

Background and detail

Dalibard's Demonstration. Thomas-François Dalibard conducted the experiment in Northern France at Marly-la-Ville in May 1752. He utilized a 40-foot-tall iron rod to draw electrical fire from a cloud, successfully extracting sparks. This practical demonstration confirmed Franklin's hypothesis that lightning could be safely attracted and discharged.

People involved

Sources

  1. Benjamin Franklin Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
  2. Kite experiment Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-29

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.