FEATURE ARTICLE
Revolutionary Minds
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison participated in a small "revolution" against British weather-monitoring practices
Susan Solomon, John S. Daniel, Daniel L. Druckenbrod
Even During His Presidency
Although it seems remarkable in view of the other demands on him at the time, Jefferson continued his daily sunrise and 4:00 p.m. measurements of temperature as he assumed the presidency in 1801, after a contentious election against John Adams that was decided by Congress.Even more remarkable is the fact that it was while holding the nation's highest office that Jefferson finally began to probe the issue of thermometer exposure, through measurements in which he recorded data taken with open versus closed windows. In early 1803 while at the White House, just as he dispatched Monroe to France to negotiate with Napoleon for the Louisiana purchase (which ultimately would be viewed as one of the major accomplishments of his presidency), he took a series of measurements outside, inside and inside with an open window, noting the "great difference in the thermometer when accompanied by o.w." (open window). The data taken after about this time consistently display more plausible diurnal ranges, suggesting that it was after this series of observations that Jefferson began systematically exposing his instrument far better than he had previously done.
Although it is not known whether they ever discussed it, in 1803 Jefferson joined Madison in opting for a quiet revolution, choosing to measure temperature outdoors instead of in rooms without a fire as suggested by Britain's Royal Society.
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