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Lightning, the thunderbolt from mythology, has long been feared as an atmospheric flash of supernatural origins. In the East, early statues of Buddha show him carrying a thunderbolt with arrows at each end. Indian tribes in North America believed that lightning wa ....

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.... from lightning fatalities. Loss of consciousness, amnesia, paralysis and burns are reported by many who have survived. Deaths and injuries to livestock and other animals, thousands of forest and brush fires, as well as millions of dollars in damage to buildings, communications systems, power lines, and electrical systems are also the result of lightning. Finally, the threat of lightning causes many work stoppages and lost production increasing the time and cost required to prepare NASA spacecraft for flight. Benjamin Franklin performed the first systematic, scientific study of lightning during the second half of the 18th century. Prior to that tim ....