The scale of the phenomenon that we call "lightning" is grandiose.
Suffice it to say that around the world up to one million lightning strikes occur every hour, and the length of an electric spark sometimes reaches 150 kilometers. Lightning currents reach hundreds of kiloamperes. The lightning temperature exceeds 25,000-30,000 degrees.
But the relationship between man and lightning is even more striking. Sometimes one gets the impression that there are people who attract lightning to themselves. The story of the French officer Summerford is known. In 1918, a lightning strike threw him off his horse, as a result of which the major's lower body was paralyzed.
He left France for Vancouver. While fishing, lightning found him under a tree, where he was hiding from the rain with three friends. The major was again paralyzed.
It happened in 1924. A few years later, in 1930, having again recovered from paralysis, the major walked through the city park. Here he was again overtaken by a storm. He was again paralyzed by a lightning strike. After living for two more years, Summerford passed away.
But even this, his communication with lightning did not end: in 1934, lightning struck the major's tombstone at the Vancouver cemetery.
Lightning-shattered stone at Summerford's grave
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Major Summerford was not alone in his special relationship with lightning. The Guinness Book of Records tells of an American, National Park ranger, Roy Sullivan, who was attacked by lightning … seven times!
His unique ability to attract lightning was first revealed in 1942, when a date with lightning cost him the loss of a big toe.
Then, in July 1969, as a result of a lightning strike, he lost his eyebrows, and a year later, in July 1970, he received a burn on his left shoulder. In April 1972, lightning scorched his hair, and in August 1973, not only scorched his hair, but also burned his legs.
It would seem that this is quite enough for one person. But it was not there. In July 1976, lightning injured Sullivan's ankle, and in July 1977, after being hit by lightning, he was hospitalized with burns to his chest and abdomen.
An equally surprising incident occurred in Japan. A group of schoolchildren, being in the mountains, got into a thunderstorm. In order not to lose the students, the teacher ordered the children to connect with one rope, like climbers. Lightning struck this chain. Every third student was killed, the rest survived. All the studies carried out by Japanese scientists have failed to explain this startling fact.
There are inexplicable cases when lightning suddenly appears on a cloudless day and … deprives people of life. It happened once in the Bourget region of France. Lightning struck the squad of soldiers marching in formation from a clear sky. Nineteen people were thrown to the ground, some were found dead.
It is also difficult to explain the events that took place in Italy for several years. In 1899, in the village of Taranto, in his own yard, a peasant Primarda was killed by lightning. Thirty years later, in the same place, his son was killed by lightning. And in October 1949, the grandson of the Primard was killed there, again by lightning.
And how to explain, for example, the fact that lightning leaves on the body of its victim a kind of photograph, which even received the name "keranography"?
Drawings on the skin after lightning strikes
For example, a little girl standing by a window during a thunderstorm. She was struck by lightning. An image of a poplar in the yard was imprinted on her body. Or the case of a sailor killed by lightning. On his body they found an image of a horseshoe hanging on the mast of a ship as a symbol of happiness.
The little boy climbed up a tree to steal eggs from the bird's nest. Lightning struck the tree. On the boy's body were found contrasting images of a tree that the boy climbed, branches with a nest and the bird itself sitting on a branch.
But, as it is assumed, another trick of lightning, connected this time not with humans, but with animals. The most striking incident in this series occurred in 1971. A certain Jesper Barrot from South Carolina brought a rabbit from a hunt. When the wife began to cook the animal for dinner and took off the skin from its front paw, it showed … a small but very clear portrait of a woman's face: bow lips, curled hair, long eyelashes.
A terrible incident happened in Uganda, lightning hit a thatched hut. At that moment, the man with his wife and two daughters was inside. One of the girls failed to survive. The parents and the eldest daughter received severe burns.
A fantastic incident once happened with several climbers who spent the night during a thunderstorm on the slopes of the Pamirs. True, ball lightning demonstrated its evil temper in this episode this time. And the following happened. Suddenly at night ball lightning penetrated the climbers' tent. She climbed into the sleeping bags of exhausted people and literally tore pieces of meat from their bodies.
One of the four climbers then died, the other three were crippled. The unusual thing about this incident is that, as witnesses told the incident, the lightning acted so judiciously, as if it were an evil living creature.
Of course, the list of unexplained phenomena associated with lightning and people does not end there. It could be significantly expanded, and we would have done so if it would help to resolve issues that arise when encountering such phenomena. The fact is that most of the strange incidents have not received an explanation to this day.
