Dunder and Blixem

It's been a while since I've posted. Last night there was a massive lightning storm over the DFW area. My hotel room flashed bright lights for a couple hours with deep thunder rolling in the background. I didn't enjoy the strobe effect. Since it was too noisy and bright to sleep, I watched from the balcony. Every second or two the sky lit up in spectacular fashion. I started wondering about the purpose of lightning. I didn't come up with an answer but I have discovered a few lightning facts:

1. Lightning is mentioned 46 times in the Bible. Thunder is mentioned 30. (www.crosswalk.com)

2. In ancient cultures, lightning represented power and was sometimes used by Greek and Roman gods to punish mankind.

3. The Navajo tribes linked lightning to the thunderbird which is their symbol for salvation and divine gifts.

4. Each year the National Weather Service hosts the Lightning Safety Awareness Week.

5. The original version of St. Nicholas' story referenced two reindeer - Dunder and Blixem. These later became Donner and Blitzen. Originally these were the Dutch words for Thunder and Lightning.

6. There is an annual conference for survivors of lightning strikes.

7. Lightning strikes the earth 100 times per second. That's about 8.6 million times a day.

8. Lightning strikes Central Africa more than any other place.

9. There are 21 million ground strikes per year in the United States.

10. Tampa, FL receives more lightning strikes than any other city in the United States. Maybe they should change the name from the Buccaneers to the Dodgers?

11. The average lightning strike carries 10-12,000 amps of electricity.

12. Sleep experts say when someone dreams about lightning it usually represents a sudden or shocking event has taken place in their lives.


Armed with this knowledge you too will be able to hold an intelligent conversation with someone about the amazing atmospheric phenomenon called lightning.