Few meteorological phenomena are as impressive as lightning. While lightning strikes can be deadly and destructive, sometimes they defy our expectations and take a walk on the weird side. Here are 10 examples of a bolt from the blue doing something wacky.

10 Hitching a Ride on an Airplane (1984)



Passengers and crew aboard a Soviet airliner flying at around 1,900 meters (3,600 ft) altitude were stunned when what appeared to be a ball of lightning burned a small hole in the fuselage in front of the cockpit. The fireball disappeared with a roar, then reappeared and floated around in the passenger lounge before traveling to the tail section. There it split apart into two crescent shapes, rejoined, and exited through a second hole. The pilot wasted no time turningthe plane around and making an emergency landing.

9 Restoring Sight to the Blind (1980)








Truck driver Edwin Robinson had been blinded in a traumatic traffic accident in 1971, but his sight was miraculously restored nine years later when he was struck by lightning after taking shelter from a thunderstorm under a tree near his home. The lightning strike knocked him to the ground. When he regained consciousness 20 minutes later, he managed to go inside the house where his wife found him, suffering from weakness and trembling. That evening, his vision began to clear, eventually restoring his ability to read. Doctors had no explanation.





8 Curing Cancer (1932)



This story may be apocryphal, and it is important to remember that electrotherapy cures for diseases have been touted since the 18th century.