[Jonah Hex]

Years ago, I was a pax on a B-747 when our aircraft took a hit on the wing during descent into San Francisco. There was a flash/bang which scared the hell out of everybody (including me) as we looked at each other with an "oh sh*#, what the hell was that?!?" expression on our faces. A few minutes later, the captain announced we'd taken a lightening strike on the port wing, but everything was okay and we'd arrive on time.

This occurred prior to 9/11. I'd hate to think of our reaction if it'd happen after that day. (Probably a sudden drop in cabin pressure as a few hundred sphincters tightened at once.)

[IonImplantGuru]

This occurred prior to 9/11. I'd hate to think of our reaction if it'd happen after that day. (Probably a sudden drop in cabin pressure as a few hundred sphincters tightened at once.)

That line brought a story I once read to mind. In the 1700s the question arose of how fast electricity traveled. The abbe of a French (IIRC) monestary was into science and decided to do an experiment: he called on his monks to gather in a circle with a Leyden jar (one of the earliest forms of battery) between him and nearest monk. He had them join hands while he held the Leyden anode, then he asked the last monk in the chain to grab the cathode ... and the entire assembly of monks jumped at the same time from the shock!