Tsar Nicholas II's Childhood Encounter with Ball Lightning

One of the most famous ball lightning accounts from the 19th century involves Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who reportedly witnessed the phenomenon as a child at the Alexander Palace near St. Petersburg. According to the account, the future tsar was attending a church service with his grandfather, Tsar Alexander II, when a ball of lightning entered through the church door, floated through the interior, and exited through a window. The young Nicholas was reportedly terrified but unharmed. Years later, as Tsar, Nicholas II is said to have recounted the experience in correspondence, describing the ball as approximately the size of a large orange, brilliantly luminous, and moving with a slow, almost deliberate quality. The account was preserved in Russian court records and has been cited by Russian ball lightning researchers as one of the most detailed historical observations from a credible witness. The setting — inside a large stone church during a thunderstorm — is consistent with the pattern of ball lightning entering buildings through doors, windows, and chimneys.