1752
a key a long piece of string and a regular kite. (i wouldn't try this if i were you)
Silk.
Benjamin Franklin got a charge out of using a kite (: no kid
He used a kite that's where the term "flying kite in the rainstorm" comes from.
Benjamin Franklin is the most famous man for his use of a kite. He used one in a lightning storm with a key attached and learned electricity can be conducted.
Benjamin Franklin used a kite with a metal key attached to the string during a thunderstorm. The lightning struck the key, traveled down the string, and charged a Leyden jar or bottle that Franklin held. Franklin conducted this experiment to demonstrate that lightning is a form of electricity.
Fixing your hair by striking your kite while holding on to it
Benjamin Franklin was the first person to discover electricity as he did the kite experiment, and was the first person to use the terms positive and negetive charge.
A brass key, brass being an easy to work with metal of the times, was often used in lock making and key making.
Ben Franklin was a great man.
One inventor of the lightning rod was Benjamin Franklin. Another was a German priest, Diwisch. Both appear to have made their inventions in the same decade, around 1753. See "Who Really Invented The Lightning Rod?", The Electrical Review, volume 32, 10Feb1893, p.146.
grettings