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How William N. Jennings captured the first photograph of lightning in 1882 [1]
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Date: 2025-08-07
A Philadelphia photographer made history by capturing the first clear photo of lightning, revealing that artists had been drawing it wrong for centuries.
William N. Jennings used silver gelatin prints to freeze a lightning strike on September 2, 1882. His photos showed that lightning doesn't form the simple zig-zag pattern seen in artwork — instead, it creates complex, branching forks across the sky. The photo has a wonderfully spooky mood to it and would make a fantastic album cover.
As a member of the Franklin Institute, Jennings turned his discovery into science. He created the first system for classifying different types of lightning based on their patterns. His techniques also unexpectedly contributed to early X-ray photography a decade later.
See also: Chef upgrades from lava to actual lightning in latest cooking adventure (video)
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