On this day in 1781, General George Washington, commanding a force of 17,000 French and Continental troops, begins the siege known as the Battle of Yorktown against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and a contingent of 9,000 British troops at Yorktown, Virginia, in the most important battle of the Revolutionary War.
Earth's rotation causes the trade winds, in a way. If Earth didn't rotate, the wind at these latitudes would blow straight from the subtropical highs to the ITCZ.n the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth rotates counterclockwise so the wind is deflected to the right. The Southern Hemisphere rotates clockwise deflecting the wind to the left. Regardless, the Coriolis effect only influences the direction of the wind, not its speed.
Global Winds The Earth has consistent wind patterns when looked at from a global scale. Global winds are created by both the spin of the Earth (Coriolis effect) and the differences in temperature between the equator and the polar areas. These winds are often grouped together as trade winds, easterlies, and westerlies. 1  Trade winds - Trade winds occur near the equator and flow from either the north or south towards the equator. They curve towards the west due to the spin of the Earth. Prevailing westerlies - In the middle latitudes of the Earth, between 35 and 65 degrees latitude, are the prevailing westerly winds. These winds blow from the west to the east and also towards the poles.