Making a Snowman

A Snowman is a model of a person made of snow. 

According to historian Bob Eckstein, no one knows who invented the very first snowman.  He believes the first man of snow was made in medieval times. In the medieval Book of Hours from 1380 the very first illustration of a snowman was found.  Snowmen were most likely first made by people to scare away evil winter spirits, but now they are just a good excuse to have fun in the snow. 

The first recorded snowman in the U.S. comes from early American history.  Fort Schenectady was attacked in 1690.  When the attackers arrived it was almost midnight and a blizzard had kicked in. They found the north gate open, so they decided to attack and 60 villagers were killed. According to oral history and tradition, the two guards at the north gate built two snowmen to guard the gates that were frozen open while they left their post to enjoy drinks at the pub. 

The World’s Tallest Snowman was built in Maine, USA in 2008.  The Snow-woman called Olympia was over 122 feet tall and was made with over 13 M pounds of snow.  Trees were used for its arms and she required other materials such as tires and wreaths for her face and buttons.

In 2009, scientists at the National Physical Laboratory in West London, UK created the tiniest known snowman.  Their creation stood at only 0.01 mm tall.  They used technology that was created for nano-particle manipulation.  

Building a snowman is a fun winter tradition. You need to find the right snow.  Ideally the snow should be around -1 degrees Celsius. The snow has to have enough strength to stick together. If it is too powdery it won’t form a snowman. Pick a good location for your snowman. Placing him someplace flat and shady will give your snowman the best shot at a long life. Face him away from the sun to prevent his facial features from melting down his body.

When creating a gigantic snowball give yourself a head start by packing the snowball as large as you can with your hands first.  Then place the ball on the ground and roll it around the space until you’ve reached the desired size. When you have your first snowball rolled, pack some extra snow around the base to give it more stability.  Flatten the top of the bottom and middle snowball before placing the next one on top.

The last step is to decorate your snowman.  Sticks can be used for arms and the face is traditionally made with stones or coal for eyes with a carrot for a nose. 

Here are a few snowman jokes I found.

What is it called when a snowman has a temper tantrum? - A meltdown.

Where does a snowman keep his money? - In a snowbank.

How do you know when a snowman is mad at you? - He gives you a cold shoulder.

What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? - Frostbite. 

Have a great day everyone.  Spend time outdoors and if you have snow, enjoy building a snowman.