This originates from the 18th-century playwright John Dennis, who invented a new method of creating stage thunder, only to have it copied by a rival production. When Dennis’s own play failed, he noted that a subsequent production of Macbeth utilized the exact mechanical “thunder-run” he had developed. His outcry—”They will not let my play run, but they steal my thunder!”—gave us this enduring expression for the appropriation of another person’s innovation or accolades.
Tags: Innovation, Intellectual Property, Theater History