Dailbard's lightning experiment. French scientist Thomas-Francois Dalibard (1709-1799) and local priest Father Raulet experimenting with lightning on 10 May 1752, at Marly, France. The metal structure pointing upwards is attracting charge from the storm clouds overhead, showing that lightning is the same phenomenon as electricity. This experiment, one of the first to attempt to discover the nature of lightning, occurred a few weeks before the famous experiment by Benjamin Franklin in June 1752. Artwork from 'Electricite' (1911) by Max de Nansouty, part of the 'Les merveilles de la science' series of 1867-1891 by Louis Figuier.