Albert's swarm was an immense concentration of the

Rocky Mountain locust The Rocky Mountain locust (''Melanoplus spretus'') is an extinct species of grasshopper that ranged through the western half of the United States and some western portions of Canada with large numbers seen until the end of the 19th century. Sight ...

that

swarmed ''Swarmed'' is a 2005 Canadian film directed by Paul Miller (theatre director), Paul Ziller and starring Michael Shanks as a scientist trying to save a town from yellow jacket wasps. The film was Television film, made for television by Syfy, Sci ...

the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

in 1875. It was named after Albert Child, a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

interested in

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

, who calculated the size of the swarm to by multiplying the swarm's estimated speed with the time it took for it to move through southern

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. The 1875 swarm is referred to repeatedly in a western Missouri historical record that explains:

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 ountyan 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.

One estimate numbers the locusts in the swarm at 3.5 trillion. Another estimate numbers the swarm at 12.5 trillion, which is the greatest concentration of animals ever speculatively guessed, according to Guinness World Records.

References

{{Reflist 1875 natural disasters Natural disasters in the United States Natural disasters in Colorado Natural disasters in Kansas Natural disasters in Missouri Natural disasters in Nebraska Locust swarms 1875 natural disasters in the United States

See Also

References