Franklin planned to observe an eclipse of the moon, but a nor’easter storm blew into Philadelphia and obstructed his view. Later, he discovered that people in Boston, hundreds of miles away were able to view the eclipse before the storm arrived. Franklin correctly theorized that the direction of the prevailing wind is not necessarily the direction of the storm’s movement. This is the first known instance in which the movement of a storm system as a whole was recognized. to Inquiring Mind: Weather Wise