Short answers, pulled from the story.
Lightning involves a transfer of energy averaging between 200 megajoules and 7 gigajoules. This electrostatic discharge heats the surrounding air to approximately 30,000 degrees Celsius. The process creates a plasma channel that radiates electromagnetic energy across a wide spectrum.
Cloud-to-ground lightning forms when a stepped leader moves downward from the cloud and meets a streamer moving upward from the ground. The discharge process includes preliminary breakdown, return strokes, and dart leaders. Most cloud-to-ground lightning is negative, but positive lightning strikes can reach peak currents of 400 kiloamperes.
The place on Earth where lightning occurs most often is over Lake Maracaibo where the Catatumbo lightning phenomenon produces 250 bolts of lightning a day on average. This event happens 297 days a year and is the most lightning-dense region globally. The second most lightning-dense region is near the village of Kifuka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
When lightning travels through sandy soil the surrounding soil may melt forming tubular structures called fulgurites. The movement of electrical charges creates a fleeting but very strong magnetic field that can permanently magnetize rock soil or metal. One theory suggests that lodestones natural magnets encountered in ancient times were created in this manner.
The first known photograph of lightning is from 1847 by Thomas Martin Easterly. The first surviving photograph is from 1882 by William Nicholson Jennings. These images document the visual history of the phenomenon before modern detection networks existed.
Lightning strikes the Empire State Building in New York City on average 23 times per year. This frequency disproves the common myth that lightning never strikes the same place twice. The building serves as a frequent target due to its height and location in a region with significant thunderstorm activity.