Jim Angel, the Illinois State Climatologist, noted that today marks the 60th anniversary of the first date that a tornado was seen on radar. Now we have much more sophisticated radars that not only see the storms in multiple dimensions and colors but can also point out flying debris as well as flying birds and insects. But at the time, this was a marvel of ingenuity, and the “hook echo” is still the signature that most folks look at for signs of tornadoes.
You can read more about it at https://climateillinois.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/60th-anniversary-of-the-first-tornado-detected-by-radar/.
