Clock Tower Lightning Rod
The only conductor capable of channeling the storm that sends a car through time.
In Back to the Future, Doc Brown harnesses the lightning that strikes the Hill Valley Courthouse's clock tower to send Marty back to 1985. A fundraising flyer given to Marty in 1985 shows that lightning will strike the clock tower at 10:04 pm on Saturday, November 12, 1955.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Hill Valley Courthouse Clock Tower
- Associated vehicle
- DeLorean Time Machine
Lore & Background
Doc installs a cable leading from the top of the clock down to the street to harness the lightning, and attaches a long pole and hook to the DeLorean to channel the energy into the flux capacitor once the hook makes contact with the cable while the car is accelerating at 88 mph. Despite setbacks, such as the cable being disconnected by a fallen branch and the DeLorean having starter problems, the plan succeeds and Marty returns home.
Reader's Guide
An alarm clock that the 1955 Doc puts on the DeLorean's dashboard rings to tell Marty when to speed towards the clock tower at 88 mph. The pole and hook channel the strike into the flux capacitor, and the pole itself remains behind in 1955.
More in Time Travel & Artifacts
Elsewhere in Back to the Future
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