Fitting, this July 4, 2013, as we salute the independence of a nation built on the rule of law and not the whim of man, it is unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”) that grab modern American headlines.

Indeed, what is more American that hamburgers and hotdogs on Independence Day?  The “new” past time, of course: Building and flying  your own drone in the backyard :

Well, maybe not.  The “past” still matters.  In fact, there is some legitimate connection between the experiments of Benjamin Franklin and the scientific experiments performed by UAVs.  As the linked article (in the previous sentence) explains, “[i]n 1752, Ben Franklin used a key on a kite string to study lightning. In 2002, NASA and university scientists devoted the month of August studying the same phenomena – this time using a remotely piloted aircraft soaring to heights of more than 50,000 feet.”

It will be interesting to see where the technology stands a year from now.

Happy Fourth of July.