Albert's swarm
Encyclopedia
Albert's swarm was an immense concentration of the Rocky Mountain locust
that in 1875 swarm
ed the Western United States
. It was named after Albert Child, a physician
interested in meteorology
, who calculated the size of the swarm to 198000 square miles (512,817.6 km²) by multiplying the swarm's estimated speed with the time it took for it to move through southern Nebraska
.
Rocky Mountain locust
The Rocky Mountain locust was the locust species that ranged through almost the entire western half of the United States until the end of the 19th century...
that in 1875 swarm
Swarm
Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by animals of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving en masse or migrating in some direction. As a term, swarming is applied particularly to insects, but can also be applied to...
ed the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. It was named after Albert Child, a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
interested in meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, who calculated the size of the swarm to 198000 square miles (512,817.6 km²) by multiplying the swarm's estimated speed with the time it took for it to move through southern Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
-
- "It was the year 1875 that will long be remembered by the people of at least four states, as the grasshopper year. The scourge struck Western Missouri April, 1875, and commenced devastating some of the fairest portions of our noble commonwealth. They gave Henry [County] an earnest and overwhelming visitation, and demonstrated with an amazing rapidity that their appetite was voracious, and that everything green belonged to them for their sustenance."
-
- From: The History of Henry and St. Clair County, Missouri. 1883, National Historical Company, St. Joseph, Missouri