During a drought some 90 years ago, San Bernardino County nearly hired a ‘rainmaker’ with a proven record of success when it came to making rain — and a proven record of failure when it came to stopping it. machine salesman, said he had perfected a chemical solution that would cause moisture in the atmosphere to condense and become rain. Yet his efforts were opposed by many contending that his ‘rainmaking’ (technically seeding the clouds with chemicals evaporated from wooden towers) amounted to little more than a snake oil scam. claims had occasion to squirm: While he claimed success in ending a Los Angeles County drought in 1904, his efforts in San Diego County in 1915 were followed by weeks no way of stopping after it began. Rain-fearing residents threatened lawsuits.

In 1924, no one in San Bernardino County - the proposal, rain began pelting San Bernardino County, and the county rescinded its offer. starring Katherine Hepburn.

When he died two years later, he carried his secret formula with him.