2.2
Why the weather?
Doria B. Grimes, NOAA Central Library, Silver Spring, MD
Charles Franklin Brooks, the founder the American Meteorological Society and later its Secretary, composed daily public service announcements for the Science Service. The NOAA Central Library's collection of these transcripts begin in May 1923 and continue through April 1941. These daily “factoids” were also authored Charles Fitzhugh Talman and A. H. Thiessen, and were read on the radio. The announcements were designed to present meteorology to the general public through clear and simple explanations of weather facts and phenomena. “Beware of weather proverbs”, wrote Brooks on May 28, 1923, “or better still, pick the true ones and throw aside those which have not been proved….” “Evening red and morning gray, help the traveller on his way…” The "sun does not draw water” [when describing the sun's rays]. Thunder does not sour milk! And the Zuni Indians were correct when framing the adage about a ring around the moon as a predictor of stormy weather. This presentation is an analysis and, at times, a humorous summary of weather facts and proverbs as broadcast during this era.
The NOAA Central Library is honored to be a custodian of a copy of these radio transcripts. They have recently been imaged and projected to be online by January 2008. An online subject index provides quick navigation through 16+ years of public service announcements that are in the NOAA Central Library's collection.
Recorded presentationSession 2, Professional meteorology: airlines, the public, and minority science education
Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 1:30 PM-3:00 PM, 211
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