The Shock That Started It All

You've walked across a carpet in your socks, reached for a door handle, and — ZAP. A tiny spark leaps from your fingertip. Or you've pulled a jumper over your head and heard crackling, felt your hair stand up. What's happening in those moments is the same process behind lightning bolts that can kill you. The same principle that makes a photocopier work, that paints cars perfectly, that starts a stopped heart with a defibrillator. Static electricity isn't a minor curiosity — it's charge building up silently until it can't be contained any more.