A lesson in the value of curiosity. Benjamin Franklin wears many "hats"—diplomat, inventor, printer, postmaster and fire chief. He is curious about the power of electricity. He does not know what to do with it, but he knows it is important. "The power of the future," he says,"the friend of mankind." The city of Philadelphia is threatened by a series of thunderstorms. Lightning strikes with regularity, setting fires all over the town. The fire department is helpless against its power. Meanwhile, Franklin continues to study electricity. He begins to understand how electricity flows from one place to another. He observes that lightning tends to strike only the tallest buildings in an area. On a night when lightning is setting fires everywhere, Franklin has a revelation. What if lightning were electricity? Then it might be controlled. Franklin conducts his famous experiment—flying a kite in a thunderstorm, he confines the power of a lightning bolt in a Leydon jar. Now he knows how to control electricity. With lightning rods on top of their buildings and iron cables going down to the earth, the people of Philadelphia are protected. Includes 48-page activity book.