Yesterday, February 5th, was National Weatherperson’s Day, a holiday that honors the birth of John Jeffries, one of the first men in America to record daily weather observations, which he began doing in 1774. While the never ending below-zero temperatures in Minneapolis may cause some of us to hold our weatherpersons in contempt each time we tune in to the forecast, they are very important in our day to day lives. Not only do the “weather people” have the ability to influence how we dress (sandals or galoshes?) and what accessories we bring along with us (umbrella, ice scraper), they also keep an eye out for our safety when inclement weather rolls in.

That being said, if I see one more reporter try to freeze bubbles on camera, hold up a stiff frozen t-shirt, or hammer a nail using a frozen banana this winter, I’m going to lose it. We get it – stuff freezes when the temperature is below freezing!

In honor of National Weatherperson’s Day, here are some images from the negative collection in the Bell Museum of Natural History records that are of meteorological interest:


– Mammatus Clouds, circa 1940s