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[[File: 41w7ygCtVnL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg|thumbnail|left|300 PX|''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XB6QVT3/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06XB6QVT3&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=36f2fc29bd01c77085dd27fa7254fe95 Make it Rain]'' by Kristine C. Harper]]
In the 19th and 20th Centuries, both the federal and state governments of the United States explored ways to control the weather. Initially these were not particularly serious, but by the Cold War the United States was looking for any advantage it could find over the Soviet Union and serious the efficacy of weather control. Professor Kristine C. Harper's new book, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XB6QVT3/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06XB6QVT3&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=36f2fc29bd01c77085dd27fa7254fe95 Make It Rain: State Control of the Atmosphere in Twentieth-Century America]</i>, published by [http://www.press.uchicago.edu/index.html The University of Chicago Press] explores the bizarre and ridiculous history of state-funded attempts to control the weather.
Kristine Harper is currently an Associate Professor of History at Florida State University. In addition to <i>Make it Rain</i>, Professor Harper also wrote the definitive history of meteorology <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262517353/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0262517353&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=a600610f4135a3ed07d654cf017dd3a8 Weather by the Numbers: The Genesis of Modern Meteorology]</i>.
None of them worked really well. The bottom line: weather control efforts—primarily silver iodide seeding—worked best when it was going to rain anyway. However, all of these projects provided a wealth of information on cloud physics and precipitation processes. And while federal activity in weather control is much diminished, state and local governments have continued to pursue a variety of programs to boost rain- and snowfall, and to reduce hail damage.
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This book could be used in history and science policy courses that address 20th century uses of science and technology to fix man-made and naturally occurring problems. Because it clearly and simply explains the scientific and technological aspects of weather control, students can follow those developments while they examine the influence of politics, society, and culture on both scientific and technological developments and their applications, and also how science and technology influence politics, society, and culture. Considering current discussions of the potential hazards from climate change and the possibilities of geoengineering techniques to mitigate them, it is important to see how similar efforts have worked—or not—in the past.
[[Category:Interviews]]
