Thunderstorms and Lightnings
By Anna
@LadyDuck (483534)
Italy
April 25, 2019 8:01am CST
Thunderstorm season is coming. I have always feared lightnings, they can cause serious damages to a house and they also kill.
Before Benjamin Franklin invented the lighting rod, there were weird superstition about how to be safe during a thunderstorm.
The ancient Romans believed that sleeping people were protected from lightning.
The tehory was that, the vital spirit gets out from a sleeping body, therefore the body does not oppose resistance to lightning and it is safe.
They also believed that a sea lion skin protected against lightning. Emperor Augustus always wore one during thunderstorms.
It was common belief that laurel protected against lightning.
This is why emperor Tiberius used to wear a laurel crown during the thunderstorms.
Of course none of those "tricks" work, but staying away from water and avoiding to use electronic equipment helps.

111 people like this
119 responses
@DianneN (247157)
• United States
25 Apr 19
Interesting facts. I grew up living close to the water and beaches, so I knew not to boat or swim then. Also, hiding under a tree is dangerous. My father’s grandfather was at the kitchen sink while praying (he was a rabbi), when a bolt of lightning came through the window and burned a hole at the wooden table where my father was sitting. No one was hurt, and the prayers were unbroken.
13 people like this
@DianneN (247157)
• United States
25 Apr 19
@LadyDuck Big trees are dangerous. We had so many cut down around the house. Our son had all huge trees removed from his new house. They have about 7 more to do. If they get hit, the trees would definitely fall on the house.
I get scared from lightning. 

2 people like this


@arthurchappell (44987)
• Preston, England
25 Apr 19
Standing on top of a hill in copper underwear yelling all gods are stupid doesn't help during thunder storms either
7 people like this

@arthurchappell (44987)
• Preston, England
25 Apr 19
@LadyDuck until you get 30,000 volts anyway
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (483534)
• Italy
25 Apr 19
@arthurchappell No, this is not funny at all and wearing copper underwear will not help for sure.
3 people like this

@Juliaacv (54985)
• Canada
25 Apr 19
One home which we lived in had a wood stove insert in the stone fireplace in the basement. There was a big wood stove steel pipe that ran from the ground level up along the side of the house to the specific level required for the building code. One summer's night, we were having a terrible thunderstorm, and our son was quite young, and he was afraid, which never happened, so we let him lay on the living room floor a bit past his bedtime. While he was lying there our power quickly flickered off and then back on again. We had a lightening strike our woodstove pipe. That pipe was made up of 3 feet sections, and the sections were scattered everywhere and did cause some damage to the evestrough as well as some of the vinyl siding where pieces hit it on their way down. I remember the rest of the night that we were so afraid, we all slept together in our bed.
10 people like this
@LadyDuck (483534)
• Italy
25 Apr 19
That was a scary experience. During one summer, while we were at my grandmother farm, during the nigh a lightning came down from the fireplace, hit the wooden door going outside in the garden and ended on the tree in front of the door. We all had a big scare.
6 people like this

@Marilynda1225 (86179)
• United States
25 Apr 19
Those really are some weird superstitions about lightening.
Even though thunderstorms are dangerous some of the lightening they produce is amazing. I'd never want to be a storm chaser
7 people like this

@LadyDuck (483534)
• Italy
25 Apr 19
@Marilynda1225 My great fear is the hail, we had very big hail stones a few years ago.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (86179)
• United States
25 Apr 19
@LadyDuck we've had some very fierce storms here in the past. I'm hoping this season isn't too bad and that we have a better summer than last year.
2 people like this


@jobelbojel (36839)
• Philippines
28 Apr 19
@thelme55 what do you during lightning and thunderstorms?
1 person likes this

@1hopefulman (45113)
• Canada
25 Apr 19
I have always enjoyed a good lightning and thunderstorm. There is something exciting about it. Of course, I like to be in a safe place when one occurs.
5 people like this

@1hopefulman (45113)
• Canada
25 Apr 19
@LadyDuck Of course!
Do you have a lightning rod on your roof? Has a house in your area ever been hit by lightning?

1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (483534)
• Italy
26 Apr 19
@1hopefulman I know that the house is "wired" to be protected against the lightning. It's not a lightning rod is a more bit sophisticated and safer. Yes a house in our area has been hit last year, a big hole in the roof. It is a much older house than ours.
1 person likes this

@ScribbledAdNauseum (104619)
• United States
25 Apr 19
It is interesting to hear about what people believed in years gone by. Things that we know now are just old wives tales. It is amazing that these people managed to not get struck by lightning.
4 people like this


@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
18 Jun 19
I do too---so exciting but yes we can't be silly and go out in them- but I do really love them!
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54399)
• United States
25 Apr 19
One of our two dos freaks out during thunderstorms. We ended up creating a quiet room for her to go to!
3 people like this

@FourWalls (78747)
• United States
25 Apr 19
My dog could sense them coming, and she would start nudging my leg as a signal to go sit in the hallway and hold her until the storm passed.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (483534)
• Italy
25 Apr 19
@FourWalls The dog of my niece was terrified by storms.
2 people like this





@LovingMyBabies (85293)
• Valdosta, Georgia
25 Apr 19
Wow, those are very different but interesting things they believed about lightning. Lol.
I don't like lightning either, I'm just very cautious.
3 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (53441)
• United States
29 Apr 19
We get a lot of both here in Mississippi.
2 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (53441)
• United States
29 Apr 19
@LadyDuck they only frighten me if I am caught outside.
2 people like this

@DeborahDiane (40586)
• Laguna Woods, California
2 May 19
@LadyDuck - I've always been a bit afraid of lightning, too. When we lived in Texas, we had it all the time. Now that we live in Southern California, we go years without seeing lightning, and that is just fine with me!
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (483534)
• Italy
3 May 19
@DeborahDiane There is one starting right now, I do not see the lightnings but I hear the thunders, it is approaching.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40586)
• Laguna Woods, California
2 May 19
@LadyDuck - When we lived in Texas we had many thunderstorms, too. They can occasionally be somewhat scary!
1 person likes this

