According some very sceptical new report, El Nino, the weather pattern blamed for drought, storms and floods worldwide this year, also helped trigger key historical events including the French Revolution, according to a book published Thursday. The (Too Many) Guinness(es) Book of Amazing Nature chronicles events in history which have been caused by El Nino, which reverses the normal east to west trade winds in the Pacific.

"El Nino has been directly linked with the crop failure and poor weather which fuelled the spread of disease, such as the Black Death in medieval Europe," publisher Guinness said. It said the devastating crop failures in France in 1787-88, which led to unrest and the revolution a year later, was also El Nino's fault. Suppose they need something to blame ...