Weathering the Storm
In 1815, a volcanic eruption in Indonesia sent enough ash into the sky to disrupt the world’s weather for the next year. In New England, 1816 became known as “The Year Without a Summer.” Snow fell in June and July. Crops and animals died. Tens of thousands of people picked up and left; their search for greener pastures became an early chapter in a larger story of westward expansion.
This week on BackStory, we tackle extreme weather: how we’ve tried to predict it, control it, make sense of it. Along the way, we discover that our responses to wind, sleet, and rain have said as much about us as about the natural world.
Guests Include:
- Gareth Davies, Lecturer in American History at St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford
- Aaron Beebe, Director of the Coney Island Museum
Further Exploration
Resources galore! The BackStory team has pulled together some outside material to help you navigate the wild world of weather, including a bibliography of the sources consulted in the making of this episode.
Listen to individual show segments here.
Consult a transcript of the episode.
Even Further
See a listing of music used in the episode.
8 Responses
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
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Weathering the Storm: Music Listing | BackStory with the American History Guys :
[...] This is a list of the music used in the BackStory episode “Weathering the Storm,” broadcast in June of 2012. You can listen to the entire episode here. [...]
Quote -- June 8, 2012 @ 12:30 pm -
Weathering the Storm: Show Segments | BackStory with the American History Guys :
[...] The following are individual show segments included in the BackStory episode “Weathering the Storm” broadcast in June of 2012. You can listen to the entire episode here. [...]
Quote -- June 11, 2012 @ 11:54 am -
Best of Times: BackStory Year in Review | BackStory with the American History Guys :
[...] Weathering the Storm [...]
Quote -- December 28, 2012 @ 3:36 pm -
Weathering the Storm: Show Transcript | BackStory with the American History Guys :
[...] The following is a transcript of the BackStory episode “Weathering the Storm,” broadcast in June 2012. You can listen to the episode here. [...]
Quote -- February 28, 2013 @ 9:29 am
Thank you for the show on weather. I particularly enjoyed the story about the Northern Lights, as it’s always nice to hear about an aspect of history that offered a completely optimistic narrative with no “bad guys,” hardship, political agenda, inequality issue, or war-torn devastation.
QuoteI also really enjoyed the discussion near the end of the show about how climate and weather separated the North and South throughout your centuries. Dr. Ayer’s ultimate dismissal of U.B. Phillips’ “Let us begin by discussing the weather…” only reinforces that his scholarship and contributions to the academy will stand the test of time.
Have you considered extending this topic to the broader concept of environmental history? I think that would be a fascinating podcast and would love to see how the three centuries approached the concept of the landscape and man’s role within it.
I’m curious about how FDR’s response to the 1936 Gainesville tornado fits into the history of presidential responses to natural disasters. FDR visited Gainesville, GA on April 9 just a few days after the tornado hit (April 4/5, 1936) and worked with CCC and the Red Cross to assist in rebuilding efforts.
See http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/tornado/
QuoteEnjoyed the show – would love to refer to some of the statements in the classroom, but the link to the transcript doesn’t seem to be working.
QuoteHey Henry, Allen Chen here. Thanks for the heads up. The transcript’s link should be fixed!
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