Early History
The first official tornado forecast (and tornado warning) was made by United States Air Force Capt. (later Col.) Robert C. Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush, on March 25, 1948. The USAF pioneered tornado forecasting and tornado warnings, mainly due to the Weather Bureau's strong discouragement/ban on the use of the word "tornado" in forecasts or statements, fearing that it would cause the public to panic if they predicted tornadoes. In 1950, the Weather Bureau revoked their ban on the word "tornado", thus allowing public tornado warnings.
Despite the U.S. Weather Bureau's lifting of their ban on tornado warnings, the Federal Communications Commission continued to ban television and radio from broadcasting tornado warnings on-air due to possibly inciting panic in the public. Broadcast media did not follow until 1954, when meteorologist Harry Volkman broadcast the first televised tornado warning over WKY-TV (now KFOR-TV) in Oklahoma City, due to his belief that the banning of tornado warnings over broadcast media cost lives; the FCC eventually lifted its ban on broadcasting tornado warnings.
Read more about this topic: Tornado Warning
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