June 10, 1752.<br />Decades before signing the Declaration of Independence, Franklin spent nearly ten years conducting electricity experiments.<br />While flying his kite in the storm, the U.S. Founding Father was able to collect an ambient electrical charge in a leyden jar.<br />Among other things, making the connection between lightning and electricity led to Franklin's invention of the lightning rod.<br />By the time of the experiment, Franklin was already a successful businessman and politician.<br />His career as a statesman before, during and after the American Revolution spanned several decades.<br />One of the leading figures of the Age of Enlightenment, Franklin died in 1790 at the age of 84.
