LONG ANSWER e French physician Jacques Barbeu- Dubourg devoted his life to science, writing his own works and translating those of the revered American polymath Benjamin Franklin. Equally interested in experimentations with electricity, he also invented the parapluie-paratonnerre – an umbrella with a metal spike on top and a chain hanging to the floor – to o er protection from lightning strikes. e idea was that the electricity, once the bolt had hit the spike instead of the person, would flow harmlessly through the chain. As for the women of Paris, they wore special hats fitted with lightning conductors. Both items became noted fashion statements, but it is not known how many times they were put to the test.