lpetrich
Contributor
I first learned of this incident in the section on Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod in Andrew Dickson White's A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1898). Notice that he did not state "religion". ADW was a very liberal Christian, and one who was not afraid of calling out his more conservative and fundamentalist coreligionists about their misdeeds.
Lightning was long considered to be something sent by a deity, or sometimes a deity itself. But it caused a problem for Christian theologians: many churches were struck by lightning. Why did God strike structures built in his honor? Or allow a demon to do so? Ringing of church bells was often thought to be a good way of repelling lightning, but many bell-ringers got struck by lightning.
Benjamin Franklin was experimenting with static electricity when he suspected that lightning was a giant electric spark. He supposedly flew a kite in a thunderstorm to see if the clouds got electrified. They did. Since he knew that electricity flows much more easily in metals than in nonmentals, he proposed using a metal rod for drawing off lighting: his lightning rod. They were quickly put up in many places, though owners of churches were often slow about it. God, Earthquakes, Electricity, and Faith, Rev. Thomas Prince, Dr. John Winthrop, 1755-1756 - godlightningrods.pdf After some earthquakes in Boston, Rev. Prince argued "In Boston are more erected than any where else in New England; and Boston seems to be more dreadfully shaken. O! there is no getting out of the mighty Hand of GOD!" Dr. Winthrop rebutted that it was just plain silly to suppose that God could be stopped by lightning rods.
Now for the main event. The Republic of Venice had been storing gunpowder in the Bastion of San Nazaro in Brescia, Italy. On August 18, 1769, the church was struck by lightning, and ...
BOOM!!!
A huge explosion that destroyed 1/6 of the city and that hurled big rocks a kilometer and thereabouts and that smashed lots of glass and opened lots of doors.
As I was researching this incident, I found The Edinburgh review, Volume 80 - Google Books (1844), and then I found
Brescia explosion (yes, it has made Wikipedia). Numbers vary on its death toll, with an official report two years after the incident stated 400 dead and 800 wounded, and other sources stating 2500 or 3000. Nevertheless, it is one of the largest explosives accidents in history ( List of accidents and disasters by death toll, Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions).
Lightning was long considered to be something sent by a deity, or sometimes a deity itself. But it caused a problem for Christian theologians: many churches were struck by lightning. Why did God strike structures built in his honor? Or allow a demon to do so? Ringing of church bells was often thought to be a good way of repelling lightning, but many bell-ringers got struck by lightning.
Benjamin Franklin was experimenting with static electricity when he suspected that lightning was a giant electric spark. He supposedly flew a kite in a thunderstorm to see if the clouds got electrified. They did. Since he knew that electricity flows much more easily in metals than in nonmentals, he proposed using a metal rod for drawing off lighting: his lightning rod. They were quickly put up in many places, though owners of churches were often slow about it. God, Earthquakes, Electricity, and Faith, Rev. Thomas Prince, Dr. John Winthrop, 1755-1756 - godlightningrods.pdf After some earthquakes in Boston, Rev. Prince argued "In Boston are more erected than any where else in New England; and Boston seems to be more dreadfully shaken. O! there is no getting out of the mighty Hand of GOD!" Dr. Winthrop rebutted that it was just plain silly to suppose that God could be stopped by lightning rods.
Now for the main event. The Republic of Venice had been storing gunpowder in the Bastion of San Nazaro in Brescia, Italy. On August 18, 1769, the church was struck by lightning, and ...
BOOM!!!
A huge explosion that destroyed 1/6 of the city and that hurled big rocks a kilometer and thereabouts and that smashed lots of glass and opened lots of doors.
As I was researching this incident, I found The Edinburgh review, Volume 80 - Google Books (1844), and then I found
Brescia explosion (yes, it has made Wikipedia). Numbers vary on its death toll, with an official report two years after the incident stated 400 dead and 800 wounded, and other sources stating 2500 or 3000. Nevertheless, it is one of the largest explosives accidents in history ( List of accidents and disasters by death toll, Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions).