Overview

Before Doppler radar and broadcast weather reports, Spanish-born Benito Viñes (1837–1893) spent decades observing the skies at Belen Observatory in colonial Cuba, routinely issuing weather reports and forecasts to local newspapers. And before storm trackers and emergency alerts, Viñes made it his mission to teach the public what he was learning about the weather. He developed the first network of weather observation stations in the Caribbean, and his research laid the groundwork for the hurricane warning systems we use today. His sometimes eerily accurate hurricane forecasts helped save many lives-earning him the nickname ""the Hurricane Priest."" Father Benito Viñes is a fascinating look at the life of a man who worked on the cutting edge of weather science while still remaining devoted to his religious life. It explores Viñes as both pioneer in the study of tropical meteorology and a colonial Jesuit priest. With notes that put his life into modern context, this book puts a much deserved spotlight on a figure who played a crucial role in making our lives safer.

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9781935704621

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Any discussion of the science of meteorology and the study of hurricanes in Cuba begins with accomplishments of the priest Benito Vines, and it is to this subject that Guadalupe's biography of Vines is dedicated. This is a celebratory biography, prepared with affection and admiration, and filled with well-documented information and thoughtful insight. . . . [This book] offers poignant insight into the fusion of science and humanism, a testimony to the degree to which a labor of love had real-life implications. . . . A welcome addition to the expanding scholarship on environmental history. English-language readers owe a debt of gratitude to Garcia for a very capable translation of the Spanish-language original. --Louis A. Perez, Jr. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Catholic Historical Review

Author Information

Luis E. Ramos Guadalupe is director of the Historical Heritage Section of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. Oswaldo Garcia is professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University.

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