Trivia Junction

A Compendium of trivia I find interesting
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Fast Electronics Get A Charge

Every day, there are roughly 3,000 thunderstorms around the world, with lightning striking Earth at least 100 times per second. Approximately 200 to 400 Americans fall victim to fatal lightning strikes annually.

Still, the chances of being struck by a bolt are pretty remote: about 1 in 5,000 over the course of an average lifetime; 1 in 700,000 for any given year.

But if you should find yourself caught outdoors in a thunderstorm, stay away from tall stuff like trees and telephone poles and don't become the tallest object yourself.

Also, get off the phone. New Scientist magazine reports that a survey in England found that talking on a cell phone while lightning flashes is just asking for trouble.

Specifically, there's the account of a teenage girl who was struck by lightning while on her phone. The cell phone directed the electrical charge inside her body and brain. She survived, but with severe physical injuries, brain damage and a burst eardrum. Three similar cases have occurred in Asia.

Cell phones aren't the only problem. Any kind of electricity-conducting metal can exacerbate the injurious effects of a lightning strike: jewelry, watches, keys, coins, even underwire bras.

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