|
Issue Date: December 7, 2008
Weather's starring role
Time after time, climate changed the course of history
By Stu Ostro
When we look at old stills or film of a major event that changed history, we're immediately spellbound by the spectacle. And more often than one would think, weather has played a role -- even if its influence has been largely forgotten. Here, at The Weather Channel, we've launched a hit series that explores all of this, When Weather Changed History (new episodes air Sundays, 9 p.m. ET). This week, we're happy to present to USA WEEKEND readers an exclusive look at how weather has helped rewrite the history books:
Go to top
The Battle of the Bulge
What happened: One of the bloodiest struggles in World War II, the Battle of the Bulge marked a significant turning point for the Allies in the eventual defeat of Germany. From Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945, both sides fought after the Germans launched an offensive effort in the Ardennes region. After a long and powerful Allied counterattack, Germany was significantly weakened.
The Allies overcame the cold.
|
How weather changed history: The Allies were unable to put a quick end to the battle with an air attack because of the low visibility and cloudy conditions. What's more, soldiers endured numbingly cold, damp conditions day after day. The German Army had warm coats and winter gear, but Allied soldiers had not yet received theirs. To add insult to injury, heavy rain flooded some foxholes, making them uninhabitable. Then an arctic high-pressure system blew in from the east and dropped temperatures even further, but it also lifted the clouds. This allowed the airstrikes and froze muddy roads, which enabled key movements of ground forces. In the end, courageous Allied soldiers overcame meteorological adversity. It marked the beginning of the end of the war in Europe.
Go to top
Nagasaki
What happened: In the Pacific theater of World War II, the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945; three days earlier, Hiroshima had been bombed. Ultimately, 140,000 lives were lost in Nagasaki. Six days later, Japan announced its surrender.
How weather changed history: After Hiroshima, the stage was set for an Aug. 11 bombing of Kokura, Japan. But the weather shifted those plans, as the prospect of storms brewed in the Pacific. The United States switched the date to Aug. 9, and then clouds over Kokura caused a last-minute diversion to Nagasaki to get clearer conditions. Interestingly, one of the spared citizens of Kokura was Ted Fujita, known for what's called the Fujita scale, which rates the intensity of tornadoes. His first attempts at damage analysis were made while he researched the extent of destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Go to top
The Great Chicago Fire
What happened: A blaze ignited on Oct. 8, 1871, in the barn of Catherine O'Leary and her husband, Patrick, on Chicago's west side, sweeping through the city until Oct. 10 and killing 300 people. The central business district was destroyed. Ironically, the O'Leary home was spared.
How weather changed history: It's clear that it would have been a far lesser event were it not for the weather. In the late summer and early fall, dry and very warm air led to a drought in the Midwest. Just over 5 inches of rain fell between July and September -- half of what would be normal precipitation. Leaves already had started falling in July because it was so dry. Then, on Oct. 8, the city's notoriously strong winds kicked up, with gusts reaching up to 30 mph on the day of the fire. That same weather pattern also led to a devastating wildfire that consumed Peshtigo, Wis., on that same day. The Peshtigo fire was one of the deadliest in U.S. history -- killing more than 1,100 and blazing through 1.5 million acres -- but it has always been overshadowed by the Chicago fire.
Go to top
The Hindenburg
What happened: It was considered the greatest airship of the 1930s, a hydrogen-fueled Zeppelin named the Hindenburg. Yet, on May 6, 1937, it exploded into flames while attempting to land, killing 36. Herbert Morrison's live radio reporting from the scene - "Oh, the humanity!" he said - remains one of the most famous broadcasts ever.
How weather changed history: How did it explode? There are all kinds of theories, including one that contends that the Hindenburg was sabotaged, as a plot to demonstrate hatred of the Nazis, since the flight originated in Germany. But another popular theory contends that the cause was weather. There were major thunderstorms in the area that day. Enough static electricity lingered in the air to possibly ignite the ship, given the high flammability of the hydrogen that fueled it, as well as the kind of paint used to coat the outside cover, a surface varnish of powdered aluminum. Given the potential for weather to cause such an outcome, the Hindenburg disaster marked the end of hydrogen-filled Zeppelins. Those Goodyear blimps you see at the football games get by on helium.
Go to top
Challenger
What happened: "We have a major malfunction," said Steve Nesbitt, the public affairs commentator at Mission Control in Houston. What Americans saw moments later was shocking - the disintegration of the Space Shuttle Challenger on Jan. 28, 1986, little more than a minute after launching its tenth mission. All seven crew members were killed, including Crista McAuliffe, the first teacher to be sent into space.
How weather changed history: The Challenger disaster was triggered by a failure of the O-rings in the joint between the two lower segments of the right solid rocket motor. Those O-rings needed to seal. Yet, they were not sufficiently resilient to cold weather that winter day, as temperatures dipped to 36 degrees - 15 degress lower than the next coldest, previous launch. Subsequently, there were changes made in the design of the Space Shuttle, including that of the O-rings and reduction of their vulnerability to temperature extremes, as well as policy changes restricting the ability to launch a mission if it's too cold and dry.
Stu Ostro is a senior meteorologist for The Weather Channel, which is seen in more than 98 million households.
|
