Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers
Long before a tornado whisked Dorothy off to the magical Land of Oz, Americans have been both terrified and fascinated by these furious black whirlwinds. Sandlin, whose Wicked River: The Mississippi When It Last Ran Wild (2010) profiled another unruly natural phenomenon, will keep readers thoroughly engrossed in this account of America’s first tornado chasers. Not surprisingly, Sandlin begins with that famous colonial kite-and-key-wielding amateur electrician, Ben Franklin, who, before entering politics, often pondered the mystery of wilderness windroads and a landspout he witnessed one blustery Maryland day. A generation later, during the mid-1800s, the nation’s foremost meteorologists were James Espy and William Redfield, whose conflicting theories of tornado formation fueled a decades-long bitter rivalry. Along with describing how these early weather enthusiasts painstakingly probed twister secrets, Sandlin also gives chilling accounts of several infamous tornado catastrophes, including the 1871 fire tornado in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, that killed 1,500 people. Fans of Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers and anyone who secretly venerates tornadoes will find Sandlin’s history captivating. --Carl Hays