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Weather History
Thu Jan 20, 2005
Listen in RealAudio 
You might remember the high and low temperatures from yesterday, or the cold snap
last week, but what about last year? Last century? Just how far back do our weather
records go? Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook.
Historical meteorologists have discovered many methods to determine what the
weather was like in the days before any weather service existed. Weather records in
North America go back to 1685 in Sweeds Fort, Delaware, near what is now
Wilmington. There, John Holm kept a diary in which he recorded the weather each
day.
Some of the better-known records were kept by graduates of Harvard University. These
well-read alumni were generally trained as the local parsons or preachers and would
often find themselves to be the only ones who could read and write near small towns
or missionary outposts. They kept records on just about everything, including
weather.
Other weather observers included our early Chief Executives. After his term, George
Washington retired to Mount Vernon to run his five plantations. As gifts, he had been
presented with all sorts of trees and shrubs and seeds, and kept meticulous records
about the weather he encountered in planting and growing them. Thomas Jefferson,
weather observer for the Second Continental Congress, also kept records when he
was ambassador to France. Jefferson also notes to future president James Madison,
that he should keep record of weather at his home in Montpelier, Va. and even outlined
where to put the thermometer and which readings to take.
This information now gives historical meteorologists a view into the daily weather of
yesterday, and has contributed in predicting how hot it's going to be at your house
tomorrow.
The Weather Notebook is made possible by a grant from the National Science
Foundation. Our show is underwritten by Subaru, The Beauty of All-Wheel Drive.
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