When Switzerland launched rockets to fight hail

Switzerland pioneered the artificial modification of clouds, known as cloud seeding, which many countries now practise. However, recent experiments to reduce hail damage have not produced the desired results. Around ten cannons, shaped like large metal cones, are trained on a dark mass gathering on the horizon. It is the autumn of 1900 and, in the Ticino village of Collina d’Oro in southern Switzerland, a group of scientists is attempting to control the forces of nature. The cannons generate…