Bizarro is brought to you today by Inappropriate Times to Sing.This is not so much a cartoon as a historical illustration. Few people realize that today's doppler radar is named after Edgar J. Doppler, a Utah frontiersman who took it upon himself to warn locals of impending storms in just this fashion. He was observed doing this in 1842 by Austrian journalist, Christian Andreas Delppor, who described it in his widely read chronicles of his experiences on the American frontier, Austrian Among the Savages.
Edgar was killed in 1851 by a lightening strike from a storm he did not see coming as he napped beneath a tree in the center of what is now Salt Lake City. Taken as a sign that this is where God wanted them to build their temple, the local faithful erected the famous Morman Tabernacle.
To this day, some Mormon sects will not gaze upon radar images or listen to forecasts, believing that man is not meant to be warned of God's wrath. For more on Edgar Doppler, read here.
6 comments:
I wonder how many times Doppler got it wrong and the storm moved around the spot he was heading for, or the storm arrived minutes before he and his horse did.
And was he sleeping on the job when he was killed?
I really liked this non cartoon and more historical illustration BTW. And the picture of the Indian carrying what looks to me, to be a combo peace pipe, tomahawk, doesn’t look all that threatening.
Killed by a "lightening strike"? He must have been white as a sheet!
Hmm...I'm mormon, or was raised mormon, and I don't know any who won't look at the radar forcast. Anyway, I thought it was a decent comic, I kind of like the historical aspect.
dead as a doornail
*snickers*
good one Piraro. I admit...I was fooled until I clicked on the ultimate linky.
cool story - 'cept I'm a 35 year Mormon and I've never heard anything about the choice to build the temple where it is and never looking at radar. In fact, I know some major Mormon weather geeks... ;-)
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