Invisible Iceberg

When Climate and Weather Shaped History

Joel N. Myers

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781510776647
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Asian History

Discover the impactful ways that climate and weather changed the very course of human history from the founder and chairman of AccuWeather! Join AccuWeather founder and chairman Dr. Joel N. Myers on a journey from the beginning of time to the modern day to see how weather and climate impacted world events throughout history, both the good and the bad. Learn about the comet that hit Earth almost 67 million years ago, and how ittriggered a massive climate disruption that led to the extinction of the dinosaur; thedramatic climate shift in 1213 BC that created the conditions for the Ten Plagues of Egypt, a foundational moment in three major world religions; how superior knowledge of the winds allowed the ancient Greeks to prevail over Persian attackers in 400 BC; the volcano in 44 BC that helped launch the Roman Empire; how Tropical storms thwarted Mongol invaders and preserved an independent Japan in1273; how the "Little Ice Age" ushered in the age of the European Witch Trials, which eventually influenced the Salem Witch Trials; theshipwreck of the Sea Venture in 1609 in an Atlantic hurricane that inspired Shakespeare's last play The Tempest; the fog that helped to create an independent United States of America during the Revolutionary War; the storm in 1814 that ended the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte; the"Great White Hurricane, " i.e. two major blizzards, that helped create the New York Subway System in 1888; and so much more! Also explored are weather what-ifs, including the haunting question: Would the hurricanethat remained off the coast have prevented the deadly attacks of September 11, 2001, if it had just moved inland? Dr. Myers founded AccuWeather, the world's most accurate source of highly localized weather forecasts and warnings everywhere in the world, in 1962, and ever since, he has been the foremost authority on all things weather. Invisible Iceberg: When Climate and Weather Shaped History is an exciting, sometimes shocking, trip around the world and through time to prove once and for all that weather really does shape the world and the course of history!

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword by Michael Steinberg
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Comet That Ended the Age of the Dinosaur
• Chapter 2: The Flood That Decimated Humanity
• Chapter 3: The Tempest That Ushered in Egypt’s New Kingdom
• Chapter 4: Climate Disruption That Caused the Ten Plagues of Egypt
• Chapter 5: The Wind That Created the Greek Empire
• Chapter 6: The Volcano That Launched the Roman Empire
• Chapter 7: Volcanic Disruptions That Caused the Justinian Plague
• Chapter 8: Drought Destroys the Mayans
• Chapter 9: The Rain That Built the Mongol Empire
• Chapter 10: Tropical “Kamikaze” Storms Save Japan
• Chapter 11: Climate Change Brings the Black Death and the First Biological Warfare
• Chapter 12: The Little Ice Age’s Witch Trials
• Chapter 13: A Storm Ends French Florida
• Chapter 14: A Storm Inspires Shakespeare’s The Tempest
• Chapter 15: Lack of Rain Sparks the Great Fire of London
• Chapter 16: Climate Yields the Sweet Stradivarius
• Chapter 17: A Chill Freezes Birds and Transforms Europe
• Chapter 18: A Winter Elevates Peter the Great
• Chapter 19: A Fog Creates Independent America
• Chapter 20: Hail Sparks the French Revolution
• Chapter 21: Russian Winter Thwarts Napoleon
• Chapter 22: Tornado Saves Washington, DC
• Chapter 23: A Rainstorm Ends Napoleon’s Reign
• Chapter 24: A Summer-Less Year Brings Frankenstein and Vampires and More
• Chapter 25: Rain and the Civil War
• Chapter 26: Drought Kindles the Great Chicago Fire, Then Rebirth
• Chapter 27: Amazing “Drought Locusts” Bring Destruction and Change Attitudes
• Chapter 28: Volcanic Sunsets Inspire The Scream
• Chapter 29: “Great White Hurricane” Creates the New York Subway System
• Chapter 30: America’s Worst Hurricane Boosts Houston
• Chapter 31: A Gust of Wind Makes the Wright Brothers First in Flight
• Chapter 32: Invisible Iceberg—A Mirage Sinks the Titanic
• Chapter 33: Climate Catalyzes the 1918 Flu Pandemic
• Chapter 34: Drought Triggers the Dustbowl Migrations
• Chapter 35: An Electric Charge Ends the Airship Era
• Chapter 36: Calm Seas and Cloudy Skies Aid the Dunkirk Evacuation
• Chapter 37: Russian Winter Thwarts Hitler
• Chapter 38: Forecasting D-Day
• Chapter 39: Cloud Cover Spares a Japanese City
• Chapter 40: London Fog
• Chapter 41: More Dallas Rain Might Have Saved President Kennedy
• Chapter 42: Heat and Summer Riots
• Chapter 43: Snowstorms End John Lindsay’s Promising Political Career and Raise Cory Booker’s
• Chapter 44: A Cyclone “Creates” Bangladesh
• Chapter 45: Desert Storm Thwarts Iranian Hostage Rescue
• Chapter 46: Record Cold in Florida Leads to the Challenger Disaster
• Chapter 47: Could a Hurricane Have Prevented September 11?
• Conclusion
• Appendix: How Climate and Weather Affect Archaeology, the Stock Exchange, and the GDP
• Chronology
• Bibliography
• Endnotes
• Index
• Acknowledgments