1. Before the 1800’s how did farmers and ship captains find out about `weather?
(They relied on clouds, winds, Farmer’s Almanac, past experiences in how the seasons
flowed, animal behavior signs, and their own arthritic bones to make predictions about
weather.)
2. What connection did Joseph Henry have with the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, DC?
(He was the First Director; he and his family lived in one of the buildings at the
Smithsonian, the Castle)
3. What was the main focus of Joseph Henry at the museum?
(He wanted to make sure the museum’s focus was on science, especially meteorology.
Another part of his focus was on weather forecasting).
4. How did he gather information from around the country? (He set up a network of 150
volunteer observers. Supplied them with instructions, forms, and in some cases
instruments. The volunteers submitted monthly weather reports from their area.)
5. What information was included in the earlier weather reports? (temperature, humidity,
wind and cloud conditions, rain and snow measurements)
6. How many telegraph stations were used in Henry’s weather forecasting plan? (about
20).
7. How did the information gathered by the volunteers compare to the information
gathered by the telegraph stations? (Information gathered by the volunteers was more
detailed than the information gathered by the telegraph stations. The information from
the telegraph included only if it was cloudy or clear, raining or snowing, and wind
direction.)
8. What did Henry do with the information after he received it? (He posted dots on a large
map of the US posted in a public area of the Smithsonian. He used dots of different
color ; white: clear skies; blue: snow; black: rain; and brown: cloudy skies. The map
prompted the need for a national weather services.)
9. Who helped Joseph Henry organize the data that he received? (James H. Coffin who
organized the data into reports. In 1861 he published two volumes of weather data.)
10. Where was Joseph Henry born? (New York)
11. Why did he leave school during his elementary years? (lack of money)
12. After leaving school, what did Henry do to make a living? (He worked as an apprentice
to a silversmith and watchmaker)
13. What changed Henry’s life? (After reading the book “Lectures on Experimental
Philosophy, Astronomy, and Chemistry” by George Gregory.
14. At what age did he return to complete his formal education? (Age 22, he attended
Albany Academy and because he was a good student himself, he taught other students
and teachers)
15. Henry became a professor at what college in New Jersey? (New Jersey College, which
became known as Princeton University).
16. Joseph Henry’s study of electromagnetism laid the foundation for the development of
the ____________ and ______________. (telegraph , telephone)
17. After leaving the Smithsonian, what did Joseph Henry do? (He became the second
president of the National Academy of Sciences, and promoted the study of science
throughout the country).
18. What did Joseph Henry theorize about storms? (He theorized that local storms are part
of a larger weather system.)
19. Who used the data to show that storms move from west to east across the United
States and that the path could be plotted? (Increase A. Lapham)
20. How did this knowledge help people? (Communities could be warned that a storm was
coming).
21. In 1857 what prevented Henry from expanding his weather network? (The Civil War
broke out).
22. After the war, what suggestion did Henry make to the government? (That the Federal
government establishes a national weather service).
23. Henry’s vision of monitoring weather on a large scale and developing a science of
weather probably influence his be recognized as what? (Father of Modern Weather
Forecasting” )
24. Henry recognized that it would probably be impossible to achieve perfection in weather
forecasting; today __________ in weather forecasting has improved greatly since his
time. (accuracy)
25. What instruments developed over the last 50 years have enabled forecasters to deliver
more precise predictions? (Use of satellites and other sophisticated tools has enabled
scientists to deliver more precise predictions).
Questions from the reading: Joseph Henry: the Father of Weather Forecasting, pages
53-57 AMSTI UWC