The Weather Factor: How Nature Has Changed History - Tapa dura

Durschmeid brings an eye for the telling detail. - Independent (HINGE FACTOR) His tales of mayhem and confusion can be gripping, informative and genuinely idea-provoking. He reveals again and again, the casual impact of happenstance. - Independent (HINGE FACTOR) This entertaining book considers the errors and incidents that have shaped the world as we know it rather than as we planned it might be. - The Times (HINGE FACTOR) His vivid descriptions of battles explain all. - Choice, London (HINGE FACTOR)

Despite major improvements in collecting information and forecasting the weather, the 'factor of the unpredictable' is as real today, as it was in days when Noah was forced to set sail on the ark. Floods have drowned millions, droughts and famines have wiped out entire populations, frost has brought a sudden halt to invincible armies, and storms have sunk unsinkable armadas. When man comes to face nature's elements, it is not so much human incompetence as the uncertainty of the weather that leads on to disaster.