Dan Rather Mapped Hurricane Carla

The first man to show a hurricane's radar image on television was American journalist Dan Rather during Hurricane Carla in 1961. Reporting from Galveston, Texas, he overlaid a transparent map on the radar screen so viewers could understand the storm's size. His coverage brought him national attention and helped persuade more than 350,000 people to evacuate, an evacuation that is believed to have saved thousands of lives.

Previous Fact Next Fact