Michael Tritle, age l3,, of Bountiful, Utah, for his question:

When did the U.S. Weather Bureau begin?

The Weather Bureau as we know it was born in l890 and it has been Operating for many years. But the idea of gathering weather information began long before this Benjamin Franklin noticed that storms tend to cross westward over the land, but this information could not be used to forecast. In l844 the telegraph was invented and weather news could be flashed faster than the approaching storms.

In l89 the first steps were taken to organize a weather reporting system, using the telegraph. Meantime the French had organized a weather service and the idea was copied in other European countries. In l870 the United states gave the Signal Corps the job of reporting and forecasting weather events and after 20 Years this department was transferred to the civilian Weather Bureau.