Whose experiment proved that lightning is electricity?

The American statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin is credited with showing that lightning is a form of electricity. In the mid-18th century, many suspected a connection between the sparks produced in laboratories and the flashes of a thunderstorm, and Franklin devised experiments to test it. His most famous, described in 1752, involved flying a kite during a thunderstorm with a metal key attached to the string; he observed that the string conducted electrical charge from the storm clouds, confirming the link. This dangerous experiment, which could have been fatal, demonstrated that clouds carry electrical charge. Franklin insights led directly to a practical invention, the lightning rod, which safely conducts lightning strikes into the ground and protects buildings. His work helped establish the scientific study of electricity, and he coined several terms still used today.