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The quest to control rain has intrigued humanity for centuries. While today we use cloud seeding with chemicals, in the past, people resorted to strange and unusual methods, with varying success. In Kursk, Russia, women would toss strangers into rivers or soak them in water. In Armenia, it was the priest's wife who was drenched, and in North Africa, religious individuals were thrown into springs against their will. These water-based rituals are just a few examples of how we attempted to control the weather. Here are ten more attempts.
10. Hail Cannons
Hail cannons are peculiar devices designed to prevent hail from forming. The concept was first suggested by an Italian professor in 1880, and Austrian inventor M. Albert Stiger built the first model between 1895 and 1896. Resembling giant megaphones, these cannons emitted smoke rings that created an upward draft of air, supposedly hindering hail formation in the clouds.
Stiger's hail cannon became quite popular after it was tested in an area that experienced no hail for two years straight. Despite this success, questions arose about the device's reliability when hailstorms still occurred in places where the cannons were in use. Supporters of the cannon always argued that such hailstorms were the result of improper operation or incorrect placement of the device.
In an effort to determine whether hail cannons actually worked, the Italian government conducted tests with over two hundred cannons in various locations over two years. Unfortunately, the test areas experienced intense hailstorms during the trials, leading to the hail cannon being deemed ineffective. Despite this, some farmers continued using them, and a modern version of the cannon still operates today. Instead of releasing smoke, these newer models fire a blend of oxygen and acetylene gas, which supposedly disrupts the formation of hail. While their effectiveness remains uncertain, the loud noise they produce has made them infamous as a neighborly nuisance.
9. Moisture Accelerator
The moisture accelerator was a device created by rainmaker Charles Mallory Hatfield. It consisted of a mix of twenty-three secret chemicals that Hatfield ignited to attract rainstorms. Hatfield's big break came in December 1904, when he promised Los Angeles businessmen 18 inches (45 cm) of rain within five months for $1,000. He kept his word, delivering the promised rainfall and gaining instant fame. His rainmaking services were highly sought after, with fees reaching up to $4,000.
In December 1915, Charles Hatfield offered his services to San Diego, which was struggling with a severe drought. He promised to bring enough rain to fill the Lower Otay Reservoir Dam in exchange for a payment of $10,000. The city agreed, and Hatfield set his moisture accelerator on fire atop a 20-foot (6 m) tower. Light showers followed for weeks, but on January 15, 1916, heavy rainfall began.
The heavy rain continued for five days, causing the San Diego River to overflow, landslides in the mountains, and widespread flooding that destroyed homes, roads, railways, and telephone lines. Despite the devastation, Hatfield called the city, assuring them that even more rain was coming. As promised, the rain intensified, causing the Lower Otay Reservoir Dam to overfill and collapse, sending forty feet (12 m) of water flooding into the city.
By the time the catastrophic downpour, known as the 'Hatfield Flood,' finally ceased, San Diego had experienced nearly thirty inches (76 cm) of rain, widespread destruction, and fifty lives lost. Despite the disaster, Hatfield calmly entered the city and demanded his payment. The city, already facing multiple lawsuits due to the damage, agreed to pay him only if he took responsibility for the destruction. Hatfield refused to take blame and, as a result, was never paid.
8. The Storm King's Devastating Bush Fire
Before and throughout the nineteenth century, many believed that rain could be summoned or stopped through noise. This belief led people to ring church bells before storms, thinking the sound might influence the weather. Additionally, there was a common idea that rain was linked to cannons and firearms, as rain often followed major battles.
James Pollard Espy, known as the 'Storm King' and the first official weather forecaster in the United States, subscribed to this belief. However, he argued that rain was not directly caused by the battles themselves, but by the heat generated by the weapons used in these conflicts. Based on this, he theorized that heat and fire could trigger rainfall.
To test his theory, Espy wrote to the U.S. Congress requesting permission to set fire to a 600-mile (966 km) stretch of forest, stretching from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. His plan was to observe if the fires would cause rain. Congress rejected his request, fearing that the fires could spiral out of control and that the rain might not arrive in time to extinguish the flames. They also feared that granting Espy or the government control over weather events was too risky.
7. The Battle of Dryhenceforth
Edward Powers also believed that artillery used in battle could cause rainfall. Much like Espy, he sought funding from the U.S. Congress to test his theory. Unlike Espy, Congress approved his request, and in 1891, they dispatched General R.G. Dyrenforth (who, in fact, was not a general) to oversee the experiment in Texas.
Dyrenforth arrived in Texas with an arsenal of explosives, gunpowder, cannons, balloons, and kites. At the front of the 'battle line' in his fight against the skies, he positioned sixty mortars, all aimed upwards. Surrounding the mortars were dynamites anchored to the ground, with large kites and 10-20 foot (3-6 m) tall balloons behind them, all intended to deliver explosives into the atmosphere.
Despite his impressive array of weapons and explosives, Dyrenforth's campaign against the weather ended in complete failure. Eyewitness reports described the men operating the explosives as bewildered, with bombs frequently detonating in unintended places. Dyrenforth's only accomplishments were destroying a tree, breaking a window, and starting random fires. No rain appeared, and the frustrated locals gave him the nickname 'Dryhenceforth.'
6. Cloudbusters
The cloudbuster was a controversial invention by Austrian psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich, claimed to be capable of both creating and destroying rain. Reich believed the machine manipulated 'Orgone Energy,' an unseen force that supposedly held cloud elements together. While its effectiveness is still debated, in 1953, farmers in Maine paid Reich to use his machine, and rain fell the day after its operation.
Reich outlined strict guidelines for operating the cloudbuster, warning that improper use could result in disasters such as floods, tornadoes, wildfires, or even the operator’s death. Key instructions included never attempting to impress others while using the machine, wearing insulating gloves, ensuring no electrical or radioactive equipment was nearby, and positioning the machine in flowing water to cover all its metal parts.
5. Operation Popeye
Operation Popeye was a classified cloud-seeding mission carried out by the United States during the Vietnam War. Its goal was to flood the roads of North Vietnam and Laos with excessive rainfall, turning them into impassable marshes and disrupting the flow of supplies from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through Laos. Officially launched in 1967, though experimental operations that resulted in rain in 82 percent of the seeded clouds began a year earlier.
The operation was intended to remain top secret for several reasons, including the fear that other nations might blame the United States for causing unfavorable weather in their regions. However, if the plan became public, the U.S. was prepared to describe it as a humanitarian effort. As anticipated, the operation was exposed, and it was ultimately called off in 1972.
Despite the leak, high-ranking defense officials, including Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird, initially denied the operation's existence, only acknowledging it two years later. Once admitted, they claimed it had been successful, resulting in a 30 percent increase in rainfall and slowing North Vietnam's movement, particularly along the notorious Ho Chi Minh trail.
4. The Fraudulent Rain King
Frank Melbourne, an Australian rainmaker known as the 'Rain King' or 'Rain Wizard,' employed methods strikingly similar to those of Hatfield. He boasted of his ability to create rainfall by mixing and burning a set of secret chemicals that supposedly generated rain-inducing clouds.
Melbourne took extra precautions during his rainmaking rituals, locking himself inside a house, railroad car, or barn while burning his secret chemicals. The smoke from these chemicals would only rise into the sky through small openings in the structure. His rainmaking became a profitable venture for his brother, who placed bets against those who doubted Melbourne’s ability to summon rain.
Melbourne’s business came to an end once the public realized he wasn’t a genuine rainmaker, but a fraud. It was revealed that he often targeted towns where rain was already predicted, undermining his claims to have any real control over the weather.
3. Rain Stones
Rain stones have played a significant role in complex rainmaking rituals across diverse cultures, including in Africa, North America, Britain, Japan, Australia, and Ancient Rome, dating back to at least A.D. 1600. It is possible that these practices continue to this day. The stones were traditionally used either to summon rain or to communicate with a presumed rain deity.
In Australia, the rainmaker placed the stone on a pile of sand, dancing around it while chanting or reciting spells. In Ancient Rome, the stone was known as the “lapis manalis,” or “pouring stone.” It was kept in the Temple of Mars and then transferred to the Temple of Jupiter, the Roman god of storms, when rain was needed. The lapis manalis was believed to have a hollow center filled with water, which would slowly drip over its surface, mimicking the appearance of rainfall.
2. Rain Battles
Charles William Post, a believer in the theory that artillery could induce rainfall, conducted a series of self-funded experiments known as the “rain battles.” In 1910, he launched the first of these battles in Garza County, Texas, where he sent a kite, loaded with dynamite, into the air.
The kite exploded as planned, but Post found it too risky. He then decided to place stacks of fourteen-pound (6 kg) dynamite on high ground, detonating them at ten-minute intervals. On one occasion, he used 24,000 pounds (11,000 kg) of dynamite, which supposedly triggered rain. Post spent over $50,000 on these experiments and claimed that seven of his attempts resulted in rainfall. However, critics noted that these tests were conducted during the rainy season, when rain was already expected.
1. Rain Dance
Rain dances are intricate rituals practiced by Native American tribes to summon rains during periods of drought. These ceremonies are especially common among Southwestern tribes, such as the Mojave, Pueblos, Navajos, and Hopi, who often face prolonged dry spells.
Dancers wear intricate and vibrant costumes, often featuring symbols of nature. For example, male dancers might adorn their masks with feathers to symbolize the wind and wear turquoise to represent the rain. During the dance, men and women form separate lines, spaced four feet apart, and perform synchronized steps in perfect harmony. Drums are absent, as the rhythm of their coordinated movements takes their place.
