The history of meteorology began with Aristotle's Meteorology in 350 BC, which described concepts like the hydrologic cycle. Over centuries, scientists and naturalists like Theophrastus, Al-Dinawari, and Galileo Galilei made important early contributions by compiling weather data and inventing instruments like the thermometer. In the 17th century, key inventions like the barometer by Evangelista Torricelli advanced scientific understanding of atmospheric pressure and its link to weather changes. Since then, meteorology has evolved into a modern science involving the study of the atmosphere and forecasting of weather phenomena, aided by an increasing array of sophisticated instruments.