Our Stories (old) - National Weather Service Heritage
Content with Time Periods The Pioneers (pre-1870) .
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Out of Thin Air: The History and Evolution of Upper-Air Observations
A practice that can be dated as far back as the 18th century, when Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a thunderstorm to prove the electrical nature of lightning, upper-air observations have been indispensable to meteorologists for hundreds of years. Read More »
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Crossroads in Weather History – The Pioneers
As a young nation grows, a fascination with the weather and a desire to understand nature’s forces leads to the development of weather services to protect lives and enhance commerce -- a mission that would become the driving force behind the National Weather Service and its predecessor agencies for 150 years. Read More »
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Jefferson and Madison, America's First Cooperative Weather Observers?
Two of our early Presidents chronicle the weather in the young United States Read More »