PORTLAND, Ore. — Ball lightning has mystified electricity researchers since Benjamin Franklin first flew his kite in 1752. The very next year, Russian scientist Georg Richmann was killed by ball ...

MOLINE, Ill. — We're all familiar with lightning that goes from cloud to ground, ground to cloud, and cloud to cloud. The thin, step-like shaped bolt of electricity produces quite a bang as the air ...

Most Americans are familiar with the story of Benjamin Franklin and his famous 18th-century experiment in which he attached a metal key to a kite during a thunderstorm to see if the lightning would ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. As a massive storm swept through central Alberta in early July, a couple stood on their porch watching bolts of lightning play ...

The monks described it as a "fiery globe threw itself down into the river." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Somewhere deep in Siberia, a strungout Russian scientist has a little wisdom to offer. Wedged into the cabin of a geriatric biplane, flanked by a pair of nervous new acquaintances, Dr. Alexander Gemow ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...