the first rain gauges

While our rain gauges are getting a well deserved rest, an interesting note on their origin:

In his book Meteorologica, Aristotle mentioned precipitation such as mist, rain, snow, but not their measurement. Measuring rain and keeping records was still in the future.

The earliest device for measuring rainfall is credited to Korean King Sejong who lived from 1397 to 1450. He decided that instead of digging into the soil to check for moisture, it would be better to have a standardized container that stood on a pillar to measure the rainfall. These containers were to help villagers determine their potential harvest and to give King Sejong a better idea of how much the farmers should be taxed! According to records, this gauging of precipitation (for taxation) began in the fourth month of 1441.
As it was then, it is today... h2o=$