Linnean Learning

Look up - is there anything harder than trying to pin down a cloud? But a young chemist and future metereologist did the very exact thing - he categorised clouds for the world. His name was Luke Howard (1772-1864). Through out his life, Howard, a quaker and self-taught naturalist, gazed at clouds - his cloud taxonomy still holds strong today for the millions of cloud lovers around the world. Padma speaks with science historian and lecturer Dr Richard Hamblyn (Birkbeck University), who also wrote 'The Invention of Clouds: How an Amateur Meteorologist Forged the Language of the Skies', about Howard, the history of cloud taxonomy, and how clouds continue to hold centrestage in our imagination. This episode is a special release to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Howard's birth. There is a dedicated and enthusiastic group of cloud lovers in Tottenham (https://www.tottenhamclouds.org.uk/) that is celebrating by launching the Lordship Recreation Ground as the first official "Cloud Appreciation Park" in London.