World Meteorological Day

Today is World Meteorological Day!

This is a day to celebrate the weather, in particular meteorologists, those who study the patterns of Earth's weather systems. 

So, why is this day on March 23rd? Well, on this day in 1950, the World Meteorological Organization was formed as a replacement for the International Meteorological Organization, which was founded in 1873 to share data on weather globally. This organization was descended from a conference held in 1853 by American naval officer and oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury. This day would be first observed in 1961. 

Humanity's fascination with weather is very old. Ancient cultures would observe the changing of seasons for religious rituals, for example. In fact, the ancient Greeks would be the first to theorize about weather having regular patterns. Aristotle's treatise Meteorology, written in 350 BC, is considered one of the first major texts on the science, and was a basis for much of the Western world's thoughts on the subject until the Renaissance saw the rise of new ideas and observations on the subject. Mainly, this was because in this era, certain instruments were invented to help with weather observation, like the thermometer, barometer, and the hydrometer. In the leadup to that time, Islamic scientists like Al-Dinawari and Alhazen were also furthering human knowledge of the subject. In fact, Alhazen discovered why twilight is a thing.

As time went on, further inventions and innovations would allow much for precise and accurate observations and predictions of weather, like photography and later video and computers. The science of weather observation is long and fascinating, and has been used to help people understand the world around them. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!