ABSTRACT
The attempts to describe these characteristics of the natural wind were first formalized in 1756, when John Smeaton arranged for some large plates to be mounted on the side of the Forth Bridge. He monitored the deflection of these devices and established the fact that the force produced was proportional to the square of the velocity of the wind for a plate of constant area. Indeed, the formula that he produced bears a striking resemblance to many that appear in the most modern and up-to-date codes of practice.
