Post #2707221
2026-04-19 15:32 UTC
@msbellows@c.im @RunRichRun@mastodon.social
I kind of thought the Van de Graff generators in the background of old science fiction movies was a bit overblown and almost a parody, but uh, apparently had some a basis in reality?
Replies (1)
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@RunRichRun@mastodon.social 2026-04-19 16:05
@IrrationalMethod@social.coop @msbellows@c.im I remember the large Van de Graaf generator at the Franklin Institute, in Philadelphia. It was still there when our crew visited about a decade ago. I recalled reading about Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity. Rubbing things together was apparently an early investigatory scientific procedure — Franklin's musical glass armonica grew resulted from rubbing water on wine glasses. Curiosity can get you far! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin%27s_electrostatic_machine