Is snow truly pure as in the phrase “pure as the driven snow”?
You might not want to stick out your tongue to catch the snowflakes when you consider what David Philips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada has to say about the composition of snow. “Snow begins with a nucleus, which can be a speck of dust, or salt or spore, or a bit of pollution. Then water vapour in the air condenses onto that speck and grows.” And before you scoop up a handful of snow to eat, don’t forget about the little snow fleas which thrive in snow which is on the ground.
Source: thestar.com
Are there really no two snowflakes which are exactly alike?
Considering that billions and billions of snowflakes fall during a single storm, it is probably safer to say that no person has ever observed two identical snowflakes up until this time. Snowflakes do come in a variety of shapes and sizes which scientists have classified into seven basic shapes- stellar (or star), irregular, hexagonal, spatial, columns and needles.
Source: Snow by John Bianchi and Frank B. Edwards
Why do snowmen have brooms?
Bob Eckstein, aka the Snowman expert, answers this in his book. There doesn’t seem to be any special meaning or symbolism in this choice except to say that children found a broom could easily be stuck into the snowman’s torso. The earliest engravings of snowmen in the late 1790s showed snowman decorated with objects found around a farm – baskets or buckets for hats and canes, sticks or broom stuck in their body.
Source: The History of the Snowman by Bob Eckstein
When did Frosty the Snowman come into existence?
I can’t imagine a Christmas without a reference to the magical Frosty, but he only “came to life one day” during the 1950 Christmas season when he was introduced in a song written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. “Frosty the Snowman” was an instant, international hit and he became even more popular when a Golden Book by Annie North Bedford was published in 1951.
Source: Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Edited by Sara and Tom Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 3: 1940s-1950s.
When did Bonhomme first appear?
For nearly half a century, Bonhomme , the chubby and happy snowman has been a beloved mascot for the Carnival winter festival in Quebec. He wears the traditional red hat and belt and lives in an ice palace erected for the festivities. Bonhomme was created in 1954 and since 1955, the date of the first annual Carnival, he has personified the "joie de vivre" associated with this winter celebration.
Source: “Festivals” L’encyclopedia. 2002
What causes snow blindness?
Also known as photoheratitis or niphablepsia, snow blindness happens when the intense sunlight of the springtime in the Arctic reflects off snow and temporarily (but painfully) blinds the viewer. To prevent this, the Inuit created snow goggles. These were fashioned out of wood or antler to fit the contours of the face snugly and only allowed light to enter through narrow viewing slits. Even today, they are quite superior to sunglasses for preventing this affliction.
Source: The Inuit Thought of It by Alootook Ipellie and David MacDonald
What is snud?
Well, it’s not snow and it’s not mud – it’s that dirty, sloppy accumulation of snow which builds up behind your car tires – it’s snud! My brother recalls Arthur Black describing this word when he lived here in Thunder Bay, and describing the national Canadian pastime of kicking snud off your tires and watching the satisfying plop or thud of the snud falling away. Whether the word originated with Black or not, it’s a great word to describe this ubiquitous but seldom mentioned phenomenon.
Source: www.urbandictionary.com
So kick that snud off your tires and head to your nearest branch of the public library where you can learn much, much more about snow. Or make a cup of hot chocolate and settle down by your computer and search the information databases for more snow facts at www.tbpl.ca
This article was written by Angela Meady, Head of Children’s & Youth Services
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