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Why is understanding lightning important?
(R.Sonnenfeld, NM Tech Physics Dept, June 2006)

Since the dawn of civilization, lightning has inspired and frightened
humankind.  The Egyptian god Seth, Zeus of Greece, Jupiter of Rome and Thor
of Norway were said to carry thunderbolts on their person or in their
chariots. [See Ref 1]

Church bells in Medieval Europe were rung to keep storms away. 
and in some cases gunpowder was stored in the basements of churches. 
In 1769, the steeple of one such church, in Brescia Italy, was 
struck by lightning.  The explosion that ensued killed as many people 
as the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.   [See Ref 2]
Benjamin Franklin had developed the lightning rod by this time, 
but local clerics were loathe to install it on a holy structure.  
It is fair to say that Franklin's
taming of the awe-inspiring lightning phenomenon launched modern
electrical science, and contributed greatly to the acceptance of
the value of rational inquiry into natural phenomena and
what we today call the scientific method.

My own interest in lightning arose from the same awe felt by
previous generations, coupled with my interest in the
fascinating technology used in experimental lightning physics.
However, there are certainly practical reasons to study lightning.  
Lightning kills ~100 people/year and does 
$4-5 billion/yr in damage to structures and the
electric infrastructure in the US.  It sets off ammunition dumps, ignites
mine gases, and starts forest fires.  Lightning is an important atmospheric
process and is one of the chief generators of nitrogen oxides, which are
significant greenhouse gases. [Ref 3]

Our understanding of lightning to date has led to better understanding of
climate change, lightning-resistant electronics, structures, and aircraft.
Lightning information has recently become a part of operational meteorology
as well.

My work on lightning is focused on fundamental questions, such as, where
exactly does the charge go in a lightning flash?  Some things about charge
and lightning are already known.  In fact, Benjamin Franklin (correctly)
guessed that most lightning lowers negative charges to ground from the
atmosphere.  We do not yet know how the flash transports charge in detail,
however.  What is the relationship between charge and channel length,
propagation speed and radio emissions?  What event starts a lightning
flash?  These questions were too difficult to answer until recently.  New
experimental tools developed by my colleagues around the world and here at
Langmuir Laboratory have enabled us to attack longstanding problems in
lightning research that were too complex in the past.  In fact, GPS,
satellite imagery, global communications and embedded microcomputers have
lead to a revolution in the capabilities of geophysical researchers, and I
am excited to participate in this.
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REF 1) Martin A. Uman, "The Lightning Discharge", Dover Publications, 2001.
REF 2) R.H. Golde (ed), "Lightning: (Volume 1: Physics of Lightning)", Academic Press,
1977.
REF 3) V.A. Rakov and M.A. Uman, "Lightning: Physics and Effects", Cambridge University Press, 2003.