--- title: The Shard Struck by Lightning in London description: This video appears to show The Shard in London makes it look like the building was struck by lightning canonical: https://time.com/109701/watch-lightning-strike-the-tallest-building-in-western-europe/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-22T21:00:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:09:56.781Z og:title: WATCH: Lightning "Strikes" The Tallest Building in Western Europe og:description: "Despite the harrowing photos and video, a spokesperson for skyscraper told Sky News there was no damage to the building" og:url: https://time.com/109701/watch-lightning-strike-the-tallest-building-in-western-europe/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: WATCH: Lightning "Strikes" The Tallest Building in Western Europe twitter:description: "Despite the harrowing photos and video, a spokesperson for skyscraper told Sky News there was no damage to the building" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Watch Lightning "Strike" The Tallest Building in Western Europe > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b9ba14d8-2611-41f2-89fe-412629f1cb0f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b9ba14d8-2611-41f2-89fe-412629f1cb0f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=b9ba14d8-2611-41f2-89fe-412629f1cb0f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 22, 2014 9:00 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 22, 2014 9:00 PM UTC Londoners are buzzing about video and Twitter photos that appear to show a bolt of lightning flashing over The Shard, which bills itself as the tallest building in Western Europe at [1,016-feet](http://the-shard.com/shard/explore-the-shard/overview). _The Telegraph_ [highlights](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10850481/The-Shard-hit-by-lightning-Western-Europes-tallest-building-lit-up-by-storm.html) this dramatic view, posted to Twitter by a lifeboat crew based on the city’s River Thames: WOW - Check out what we just saw from the station [#lighting](https://twitter.com/hashtag/lighting?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [#London](https://twitter.com/hashtag/London?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/zO3GuLOktx](http://t.co/zO3GuLOktx) — Tower RNLI (@TowerRNLI) [May 22, 2014](https://twitter.com/TowerRNLI/status/469475961202028544?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) And here’s another angle, flagged by the [The Evening Standard](http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/watch-the-incredible-moment-the-shard-is-hit-by-lightning-during-london-electrical-storm-9419291.html): To put that thunder storm into context: The Shard got hit by lightning [pic.twitter.com/AIHKzNjPc2](http://t.co/AIHKzNjPc2) — Andy Williams (@andyonpaper) [May 22, 2014](https://twitter.com/andyonpaper/status/469479934604623872?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [Sky News](http://news.sky.com/story/1267079/lightning-strikes-the-shard-as-storms-hit-uk) reports: “A spokesman for The Shard said he was not aware of a strike as there was no damage.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/109701/watch-lightning-strike-the-tallest-building-in-western-europe/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/109701/watch-lightning-strike-the-tallest-building-in-western-europe/"},"headline":"Watch Lightning \"Strike\" The Tallest Building in Western Europe","datePublished":"2014-05-22T21:00:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:09:56.781Z","description":"Despite the harrowing photos and video, a spokesperson for the skyscraper told Sky News that there was no damage to the building","url":"https://time.com/109701/watch-lightning-strike-the-tallest-building-in-western-europe/","keywords":["Newsfeed","weather"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/109701/watch-lightning-strike-the-tallest-building-in-western-europe/","name":"Watch Lightning \"Strike\" The Tallest Building in Western Europe"}}]}] ```