Ezekiel Stone Wiggins
Who was Ezekiel Stone Wiggins?
Scientist, scholar, teacher, amateur meteorologist, astronomer, cryptozoologist, epidemiologist
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Ezekiel Stone Wiggins (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Ezekiel Stone Wiggins, born on December 4, 1839, in Queens County, Canada, became a notable figure in Canadian scientific and intellectual circles during the late 1800s. He studied at Albert College in Belleville, Ontario, and pursued a varied career involving teaching, writing, and studying natural phenomena. Wiggins and his wife, Susie Ann G. Wiggins, settled into a life influenced by his diverse professional activities. He held positions as a head teacher, principal, and school teacher, and also worked as a churchwarden, blending his religious and scientific interests.
Wiggins became known nationally and internationally for trying to predict weather and seismic events, earning the nickname 'Ottawa Prophet.' He based his predictions on the idea that planetary alignments and solar activity affected Earth's atmosphere and geology. While mainstream scientists of his time did not accept his methods, his forecasts drew significant media attention and public debate. In March 1883, after he predicted a major storm in Ottawa and severe weather hit, his reputation briefly grew.
In addition to his work in meteorology and earthquake prediction, Wiggins wrote about religious topics, education, and natural history. His interests ranged into areas now known as cryptozoology and epidemiology, showing his wide-ranging curiosity. He contributed to historical scholarship and created educational materials during his long teaching career. His writing spanned many topics, capturing the varied intellectual environment of Victorian-era Canada.
Wiggins spent much of his later life in the Ottawa area, where he remained a well-known, if unconventional, public figure. He continued to publish predictions and opinions even as professional scientists increasingly dismissed his theories. His insistence on defending his ideas and his readiness to engage with critics made him a unique figure in Canadian science and culture in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He died on August 14, 1910, in Britannia, Ontario, having spent his final years near the capital city associated with his nickname.
Before Fame
Ezekiel Stone Wiggins grew up in Queens County during a time when Canada was experiencing major social changes, with public schooling expanding and scientific inquiry becoming more formalized. He went to Albert College, a Methodist school in Belleville, Ontario, where he studied classical and scientific subjects. At that time, these colleges provided some of the best educational opportunities available outside major cities.
After finishing his studies, Wiggins began teaching. He advanced from classroom teacher to principal and also served as a churchwarden. This experience in education taught him discipline in research and gave him a role in his community. His interest in natural phenomena, especially weather and astronomical events, grew as he taught. Through self-study and observation, he developed theories that eventually made him well-known as a weather and earthquake predictor.
Key Achievements
- Gained international press attention for weather and earthquake predictions based on planetary alignment theory, becoming known as the 'Ottawa Prophet'
- Authored multiple works spanning scientific, educational, and religious subjects across a career of several decades
- Built a sustained career in education, serving as both principal and head teacher and contributing to Canadian schooling during its formative institutional period
- Contributed to early Canadian engagement with cryptozoology and epidemiology as fields of amateur scientific inquiry
- Educated at Albert College, he became one of the more publicly visible graduates of that institution in the realm of popular science and writing
Did You Know?
- 01.Wiggins predicted a devastating storm for March 1883 that he linked to a rare alignment of planets; when severe weather did strike the Ottawa region around that time, newspapers across North America covered his apparent success.
- 02.He earned the nickname the 'Ottawa Prophet' from the popular press, a title that followed him throughout his life and colored both admiring and skeptical coverage of his forecasts.
- 03.Wiggins held the position of churchwarden alongside his scientific pursuits, reflecting a Victorian comfort with combining religious duty and natural philosophy that was becoming increasingly rare by the end of his life.
- 04.His theoretical work attempted to connect planetary positions, particularly those of Jupiter and Saturn, to weather and seismic events on Earth, a form of cosmological meteorology that had no standing in professional scientific circles.
- 05.Despite sustained criticism from academic meteorologists, Wiggins continued publishing predictions well into the early twentieth century and maintained a readership among members of the public interested in alternative scientific explanations.