Benjamin Franklin was famously curious. One day in 1755, he pursued a small tornado for three-quarters of a mile on horseback, repeatedly lashing out with his whip in an effort to dissipate the storm.

[Franklin's most famous experiment (in which he allegedly used a kite to charge a Layden jar with electricity during a thunderstorm) inspired many mimics -- the first two of whom died trying to repeat it.]

[A tornado hit Shiloh, Illinois, in April 2002; the town's warning siren sounded... 30 minutes later.]