http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1933_Atlantic_hurricane_season_map.png

The 1933 Hurricane season was the second most active on record, but no storms were reported in the mid-Atlantic. This was typical of the era – the technology did not exist to track or locate far offshore hurricanes in real time.

Julia is located out in the dead zone of the 1933 map. Chances are that in 1933  she would have been completely missed.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT12/refresh/AL1210W5_NL+gif/145313W5_NL_sm.gif

Below is an overlay of the two maps. They use different projections, but if we could correct for that, it would place Julia even further out into no-man’s land.

Julia is listed as a major hurricane, but in the past she might have been completely missed. We need to be careful when doing historical comparisons.