Luke Howard

Luke Howard, also know as the "Father of Meteorology" and the "Grandfather of Clouds", was born in 1772 in London, England. From an early age, Howard became very interested in clouds and weather. Although he eventually became a pharmacist by career, he wrote many essays on weather, maintained a comprehensive recording of weather in the London area, and lectured about meteorology. His most famous work is the Essay on the Modification of Clouds. In this essay he named the three principal categories of clouds – cumulus, stratus, and cirrus, as well as a series of intermediate and compound modifications, such as cirrostratus and stratocumulus. The success of Howard's system was due to his use of universal Latin, as well as to his emphasis on the mutability of clouds. Howard then continued to lecture and write from 1807 until his death in 1864. He married Mariabella Eliot and had several children. In all, Luke Howard had a significant impact on meteorology, and a generally happy and successful life.