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Early tornadoes were described and drawn as early as the 1600s. The term “tornado” only emerged later, with early storms being referred to as “whirlwinds.”
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Early magazine images were often more dramatic than scientifically accurate. This 1883 magazine illustration shows little concept of the appearance or size of an actual tornado.
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One of the first photographs ever taken of a tornado was made in Howard, South Dakota, in 1884, by F. N. Robinson. The storm was deadly but slow moving, allowing the photographer to set up his cumbersome camera in the streets of downtown Howard and take three photos of the approaching tornado, flanked at times by satellite funnel clouds.
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This more accurate image of an Ohio tornado in 1884 was run in Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
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