Cathedrals became the first large-scale experiments in lightning physics
Long before Benjamin Franklin flew his kite, massive stone cathedrals were the unintentional targets of a high-stakes electrical lottery that forced a revolution in engineering.
For centuries, the tallest spires in Europe were essentially giant lightning rods without a ground wire. When a bolt struck a timber-framed roof, the result was often a catastrophic fire that parishioners viewed as a divine omen rather than a predictable surge of energy. This changed in the 1700s when engineers began treating these holy sites as the world's most expensive laboratory equipment. They started threading heavy metal cables through hidden masonry channels to create a low-resistance path for electricity, ensuring that currents reaching tens of thousands of amperes could bypass flammable wood and stone to reach the earth safely.