Wednesday links

Roundup of links about snow: art, science, snowmen, historical storms, the history and physics of snow removal, and more.

10 Animals That Hunted Our Ancestors.

How to Build an Igloo.

Prohibition in the United States began on January 16, 1920: here's some history, contemporaneous newsreels, the women who tried to telepathically influence the vote, Abraham Lincoln and Milton Friedman. Related, The Kiss of Prohibition: “Lips That Touch Liquor…”

18th Century Cudgelling Matches.

The history of the sneeze guard.

ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include the 100th anniversary of Boston's 2.3 million gallon molasses flood, how trees survive winter, ancient Egyptian homework, a bonsai forest, and the history of showering.

Roundup of links about snow - all kid-friendly

It snowed in the D.C. area over the weekend; the grandkids had a snow day and are restless, so I put together a bunch of the snow-related stuff I've either posted or linked to over the last few years. 

The Mathematics Behind Getting All That Darn Snow Off Your Street.

Photos From New York After the Blizzard of 1888.

Scenes From the History of Snow Removal. Related; Do You Want To Build a Snowman? Physics Can Help.

Cars vs. Snow.

Useful information these days: How to Rebuild and Repair Vintage Snowshoes. Related: Snowshoe art, and Trampled Snow Art. More here.

Gallery of Frost Flowers, Snow Crystals Under a Microscope, and Macro Photographs of Snowflakes. 

Science: How snowflakes get their shapes.

Here's a video of the Slow Motion Destruction of Snowmen and one of Super Slow-Motion Video of Snowballs Smashing Into Faces.

Here's a guy in a dinosaur costume shoveling snow.

ABC News:

A man donned a dinosaur costume to shovel snow in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

His wife, Amy Saxon White, told ABC News that he got the costume for Halloween and he loves to dress up for the kids.

He decided to put the costume back on in the snow to give a friend a laugh, she said.

White posted the photo to Facebook around 9 a.m. today and it already has over 2 million views.

Friday links

Roundup of links about snow: art, science, snowmen, world's largest snowball fight, snow removal, and more.

Advice from c. 1200: How to Survive the Winter.

Something to restore your faith in humanity: Man with stage IV bone cancer saves neighbor from burning home.

Mathematicians Have Found Strange New Ways to Cut Pizza Into Equal Slices.

Alton Brown's critique of Amazon's dumbest kitchen gadgets, with bonus Amazon reviews.

10 Incredible Real Life MacGyver Moments That Saved Lives.

Online Shopping in the 1950s.

ICYMI, Thursday's links are here, and include Valentine's Day reservations at White Castle, the anniversary of French King Louis XVI's guillotining in 1793. an infographic on the evolution of the Batmobile, and, for Stonewall Jackson's birthday, the story of his left arm's separate grave,

Friday links

Got restless kids at stuck in the house recovering from snowy activities? Here's a roundup of links about snow - all kid-friendly.

Your Favorite Car Brand Histories, Illustrated With Just the Front Grill.

Eerie pictures of the abandoned New York leper colony.

These 3D Optical Illusion Body Paintings are rather impressive.

What 170-Year-Old Beer Uncovered From a Shipwreck Really Tasted Like.

The Weird World of Standard Reference Materials, From That $761 Jar of Peanut Butter to Whale Blubber

ICYMI, Thursday's links are here, and include a history of impractical weapons of war, how cutlery affects out sense of taste, Sharknado 3 with Ann Coulter as VP, and what happens when a bunch of men pee on a beehive (hint: the bees attack the first body part they see).

Groundhog Day links

Groundhog Day links, both the meteorological event and the movie: the history of weather predictions and Candalmas (Groundhog Day), how often Punxsutawney Phil has been correct (39% of the time since 1887), how long Bill Murray was stuck (8 years? 34 years?), and more.

Scenes From the History of Snow Removal. Related; Do You Want To Build a Snowman? Physics Can Help.

Why did the panda’s ancestors ditch meat for bamboo?

Here's a Map of Every Goat in the United States, with bonus goat-related links.

Science: What Spider-Man Would Need to Eat for Breakfast in Order to Swing Around New York. Related: The Problem With Actually Having Superpowers.

Take a Tour of a 1964 Underground Fallout Home.

Amazing Snow Sculptures at The 2015 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Via The Atlantic:

Every year, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, the city of Harbin hosts the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, featuring massive ice and snow sculptures. At night, the sculptures are colorfully illuminated and visitors can climb and play on some of the structures. The festival officially opened on January 5 this year, and will run through the end of February. According to organizers, the winter festival now draws several million tourists each year, from China and from abroad.

Workers polish a snow sculpture.

Visitors walk past a train-shaped ice sculpture.

A man jumps for a photo in front of large snow sculptures.

A maze built with ice bricks and illuminated by colored lights

Lots more photos at The Atlantic.

20 Fascinating Historical Photos You Probably (Maybe) Haven't Seen Before

I've always been fascinated by old photos, and there are a few here I haven't seen before.  Check out the depth of the snow in the first one.

via TechBlog.