Worldwide, 16 million lightning storms a year Kill 24,000 people.
全世界每年有一千六百万次闪电风暴 夺走了两万四千条生命
Each strike wields the power of a ton of TNT,
每一次电击的破坏力就相当于一吨炸药
With a temperature of 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit,Five times hotter than the sun.
释放温度高达五万华氏度 是太阳热量的五倍
As a journalist,Franklin knows the devastation lightning can cause.
作为一个记者 富兰克林深知闪电的破坏力
Grain stores, houses and churches destroyed.Come and give us a hand.
谷仓 房屋还有教堂都被摧毁了 来帮我们一把
Only 60 years after the Salem witch trials,Many still believe it's the wrath of God.
距萨勒姆女巫审判六十年后 许多人仍相信这是上帝的愤怒
But franklin will challenge this To prove that lightning is a form of electricity
但富兰克林将挑战这个观点 证明闪电只是电的一种形式
And help unlock one of the keys to mankind's future.
并开启人类未来的一扇重要的大门
"I was never before engaged in any study"
我之前从未如此倾尽全力
That so totally engrossed my attention and time.
投入一项研究
Surely the Thunder of Heaven is no more supernatural
显然 天上的雷电不再是超自然现象
Than the Rain, Hail or Sunshine of Heaven."
而是和雨水 冰雹 阳光一样的自然现象"
The battle between superstition and science That defines the age.
迷信和科学的较量 是那个时代的特征
Franklin was very much part of the Enlightenment.
富兰克林对启蒙运动的贡献意义重大
The Enlightenment was based on the idea that there are natural explanations for the phenomenon of nature.
启蒙运动所基于的理念是每种自然现象 都有相应的解释