This week, and maybe with good reason,because you get more storms in hot weather, we are going to discover #LightningSafetyWeek - which is this week in America but seems not to occur in the British isles, though we do get lightning, and, every year, it causes injuries and fatalities.The only form of advice as to protection seems to be offered by mountaineering sites, who say the best thing to do if you even suspect lightning is to safely get down the mountain as quickly as you can, and keep walking, don`t be tempted to hide beneath a tree, or in a cave. Other dangers are the lightning striking metal on your body or rucksack and equipment, or even hitting the rope if you are abseiling, especially in damp or wet conditions.
So our first clue, on Saturday the 20th of June, shifted our regular Saturday Soccer Spot to America, which is where the Lightning Safety Week takes place. We also chose a card of the Los Angeles Chargers, who compete in the National Football League or NFL. They also use a curving lightning strike logo, and have done since the team began in 1960. You can see that on our card, by looking at the helmet. And last year California had more lightning than usual, recording almost eighty thousand strikes in peak season, between the beginning of June and the end of August.
Our second clue, on Sunday the 21st of June, showed Usain "Lightning" Bolt, a nickname that again refers to his lightning-fast speed. And lightning is fast, with high end speeds of over 270,000 m.p.h. However the sound and the light actually come at different times; when it strikes an object a flash of light is observed, and we see that straight away. The heat of the lightning makes the sound of the thunder, which is transmitted through the atmosphere at the speed of sound, and that is slower than the lightning. And that is how, with a fair bit of accuracy, we can start counting in seconds once you have seen the flash and stop when you hear the rumble. Then, if you divide the seconds by five you get the distance the lightning is away from you in miles.
and lastly, on Monday the 22nd of of June we gave you what is believed to be the only card of a person just after they have been struck by lightning - and not just a person, but a King, for this was Henry the Fifth, the King of Germany from 1099 to 1125 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1111 to 1125. In case you are wondering, he did survive, and remained King for another twenty years, but died childless. Research has shown that no British King or Queen have ever been struck by lightning, though whilst another Henry, the British King Henry IV, was trying to quell a rebellion in Wales his tent was struck by lightning, whilst he was asleep in it, and destroyed, but he woke up and managed to get out.
On which note, as always, if anyone else would like to send us any information or scans from their collection which relates in any way to our theme of the week, please do - simply email us at webmaster@card-world.co.uk - and this is the same for any corrections, or for general cartophilic correspondence and chat.