Winter storm

In some parts of the world, the winds during winter storms can be so strong that they can create “snow rollers.” Snow rollers are essentially balls of snow that form when strong winds pick up loose snow and roll it into a ball. These snow rollers can be as small as a tennis ball or […]

People Share Little-Known Facts About Their Home State

The United States is a pretty a darn big country and each state is commonly known for some specific features like landmarks, spots of natural beauty or specific customs.

Sometimes the things a state is known for aren’t the most interesting things about that state, though.

Redditor FriendoAmigo asked:

“US Residents of Reddit: What is a lesser known fact about the state you live in?”

It Snows In Arizona

“Arizona isn’t all desert. The northern half is pine trees, lotsa greenery, & snow.” -ThatsMyOpiniiiooon

“This actually surprised me so much when I moved here a few years ago. I lived in the PNW before and was shocked that there are places here almost like it, just farther north. I live in the south though so we just have sand. Lots of sand. ?” -smc0303

“You can ski in Tucson! If they open the road after it snows.” -Redditor

Pennsylvania Used To Be Über German

“Until WWI German was the most spoken language in PA. Papers were printed in it, schools were taught in it, it was spoken in homes and businesses.”

“Then we soured on Germany and in a matter of years it was erased except for place names, last names, and the language of the Plain [Mennonite, Amish, Anabaptist] people.” -tehmlem

Apparently, So Was Texas?

“There is a dialect of German that is only spoken in Texas.” -Implicit_Hwyteness

“Really? What’s it called? Texan German?” -Oiltownboi

“‘Texasdeutsch’, yeah.” -Implicit_Hwyteness

“If you’re interested you can hear it on youtube. Wikitongues has an interview with an older woman speaking it.”

“As a German speaker it’s very strange to hear. She uses really antiquated words. It’s like someone from a time machine” -Fylfalen

Jersey Devil Territory

“New Jersey is home to the Pine Barrens, basically the cleansing apparatus for the entire Northeastern seaboard for the last few centuries. Interesting lore surrounding the New Jersey Devil living there too.” -Kin2monkey

Swiss Cheese Isn’t From Switzerland

“Swiss cheese was created in Ohio, the state ranks number one in swiss cheese production in the country.” -cheesecake_fiend

“Swiss cheese is any variety of cheese that resembles Emmental cheese, a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the area around Emmental, Switzerland.”

“Baby Swiss and Lacy Swiss are two varieties of American Swiss cheeses. Both have small holes and a mild flavor. Baby Swiss is made from whole milk, and Lacy Swiss is made from low fat milk. Baby Swiss was developed in the mid-1960s outside of Charm, Ohio, by the Guggisberg Cheese Company, owned by Alfred Guggisberg.” -BryGuyB

“What !? I’ve been lied to! At least tell me it was invented by a Swiss man in Ohio?” -DatTF2

“Google tells me that a Swiss man named Alfred Guggisberg immigrated to the US and created the cheese in Ohio Amish country.” -cheesecake_fiend

“And if anyone is passing through this area I strongly suggest that they buy some Guggisberg baby Swiss! The best Swiss Cheese I have ever had.”

“Pair it with some ‘trail’ bologna – you can probably find both in the same place if you’re shopping in the area.” -Labhran

Nuclear Oops

“In 1961, a nuclear bomb payload was dropped on Goldsboro, NC when a B-52 started coming apart midair. It was like one failsafe away from detonating, preventing the Piedmont from becoming a crater.”

“We don’t hear about that much and I’m surprised more people I talk to in our state don’t know about it.” -hangtight97

“The part about one of the bombs nearly exploding wasn’t declassified until 2013.” -CedarWolf

Alaska Isn’t All Frozen

“Alaska isn’t just frozen tundra. We also have the largest rainforest in the US, the Tongass.”

“Where I live, you can see old growth rainforest, ocean, fjords, glaciers, and snow capped 10,000 foot mountains all in the same view, while enjoying mild and stable temperatures that only occasionally dip below the 30s or above the 60s (Fahrenheit).”

“Also, because our summertime daylight hours are so long, we grow monster record setting vegetables!”

“I should say Alaska grows record setting vegetables in the Palmer area. Where I live in the rainforest, growing veggies requires cover and lots of fertilizer because there is too much rain.” -ghiagirl13

Iowa Really Is That Empty

“Many people think that Iowa’s emptiness is exaggerated in movies and TV, it’s not. I live in a town of 200 people and the nearest town (about 15 miles away) has 500, if I go to the edge of town, which takes like 3 minutes on foot, then I’d see nothing but corn fields and maybe a house” -Cayden5

“My favorite Iowa fact is that despite its low population, Iowa is actually the most developed state in the country because farm fields still count as development. We have very small % of wilderness left even compared to densely-populated states like NJ and DE.” -Dangerous-Ad-170

You Can’t Have It Back

“Minnesota was not a very populous state during the Civil War, but we sent hundreds of soldiers to fight, including the First Minnesota. The First Minnesota Regiment suffered 80% casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg, but for their sacrifice they won a Virginian Battle Flag as a trophy from the field.”

“Every so often Virginia asks for Minnesota to return it, and every time Minnesota tells them to f*ck off.” -CaptValentine

“I love that story. I read that Virginia sued them saying ‘that flag is part of our heritage!’ and Minnesota basically said ‘yeah, and taking it from you is part of ours ?‘” -incredible_mr_e

“Technically there has been a ruling in 1905 to return Civil War relics to their original states but I would like to point out that the CSA does not exist anymore, in part due to the First Minnesota’s sacrifice, so we actually can’t return it to it’s place of origin if we wanted to. Which we don’t. F*ck off, Virginia.” -CaptValentine

“Terrible governor, but I loved Jesse Ventura’s response to Virginia when they asked for it back, ‘why? we won’.” -air-bear1

“Oh Virginia, you silly sausage, that’s not how capture the flag works! (I’m from MN as well btw)” -2_cats_high_5ing

Texas Probably Isn’t Like You Think

“I’m from Texas, but I’ve lived/spent time in the northeast, midwest and Europe. These are the things that surprise people:

“1.Texas is one of the most diverse states in the nation. e.g.. People commonly assume Texas is very conservative, rural, and white, when it’s actually fairly purple, has large urban populations, and many ethnicities and cultures. Some people are surprised to learn Houston is almost as large (pop wise) as Chicago, and Dallas, Austin, San Antonio are some of the largest cities in the US.”

“2. Most Texans don’t have thick accents. If I had a nickel for every Minnesotan that said ‘you can’t be from Texas, you sound normal’ I’d have, idk, like a dollar or something. Only the most rural areas really have thick accents.”

“3. Texas isn’t really culturally part of the south. Louisiana through Texas forms a kind of cultural gradient between the south and southwest.”

“4. A noteworthy amount of Texans want to secede. It’s really rare actually, it’s more of a meme.”

“5. Texas has several varieties of bbq. It’s not just smoked brisket, but also varieties of barbacoa and direct flame grilling.”

“What is true:”

“Texans are willing to fight about bbq and smoking meat.”

“It’s hot as hell.”

“There are a lot of rural populations that have horses, even if most people don’t.”

“Texans are very proud of Texas.” -Fmeson

“The only show I ever saw that even got close to explaining the oddity that is Houston is Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. A lot of cities use ‘diverse’ as a tagline but Houston is on another level.”

“It’s more than the fact that it has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all over the world. Once you are there, you are a Houstonian.” -voice_of_craisin

The things everyone knows about states are often not their coolest or most interesting features.

There might even be cool facts or landmarks about your state that you don’t yet know.

Check Out This Awesome Dueling Lightsaber Battle in the Rocky Mountain Snow

Playing in the snow can be hard to resist. Sure it eventually turns to gray muck, and sometimes it needs to be shoveled.

But not being from an area that gets much snow, for me, it’s a little bit magical.

My husband’s favorite childhood memories are of playing football in the snow, and the last time we had a real one, I took the opportunity to build a snow man!

So it’s no wonder that some people in Colorado, who are used to getting plenty of snow, made a little magic of their own last February by engaging in a lightsaber duel.

Apparently, this is not the first time Coloradans have engaged in public Star Wars role play.

It’s not even the second time:

But one particular Friday evening, a young woman named Anghelie Elizabeth posted a video to her Facebook page of two people dressed in black, their swords clacking loudly together as they dueled in the snow.

Sadly, they do not make the electronic sounds you hear in the movies, but it’s still a blast to watch.

You can hear Elizabeth laughing in the background as she zooms in on the dueling duo.

One fighter has a blue saber like Anakin, Luke, and Rey. The other holds an orange lightsaber, which according to May4BeWithYou.com:

In the Star Wars Legends, the only known characters who have used Orange Lightsabers are Master Yaddle and Plo Koon. Both are Jedi but only the former used an Orange saber typically.

The snow definitely makes it epic, but I feel like we need a bombastic soundtrack. Think John Williams is available?

At just 30 seconds long, it’s not clear who won the battle, but it sure looks like everyone had a lot of fun. Take a look for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!

For licensing and usage, contact: licensing@viralhog.com

Posted by Anghelie Elizabeth on Saturday, February 20, 2021

The post Check Out This Awesome Dueling Lightsaber Battle in the Rocky Mountain Snow appeared first on UberFacts.

There’s a Giant Ice Labyrinth in Poland You’ll Want to Get Lost In

There’s an “ice labyrinth” in Poland that looks incredible.

BEHOLD!

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Snowlandia – Śnieżny labirynt 2020?

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Snowlandia is a sort of winter amusement park located in Zakopane, a region on the southern border of Poland.

While they offer other attractions like sledding, skiing, and a “mini zoo,” their main attraction is an enormous maze, constructed of snow and ice and containing all sorts of hidden treasures.

The maze was first constructed in 2015, and has to be rebuilt each year.

It takes a crew of 50 people about a month to put it together, and sudden temperature spikes can reverse a lot of work quickly.

The structure owes its design to Derek Pytlik and Artur Haber, and takes around 60,000 snow blocks to complete.

It’s a big draw for tourists, especially ones with kids.

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#myall❤

A post shared by ??????í?? ???á???á ? (@slavomirapekarova) on

So bundle up, and don’t get lost.

A lot of folks refer to it as the “biggest” or “largest” maze of its kind, but we can’t find anything official to back that up.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest snow maze was created in Manitoba, Canada, and the largest ice maze was in Buffalo, New York.

Your guess is as good as ours as to what the difference is between those categories…

Getting lost in the cold isn’t most peoples’ idea of a good time, but this is tempting.

Would you brave the great Ice Labyrinth?

Let us know in the comments.

The post There’s a Giant Ice Labyrinth in Poland You’ll Want to Get Lost In appeared first on UberFacts.

There’s a Giant Ice Labyrinth in Poland You’ll Want to Get Lost In

There’s an “ice labyrinth” in Poland that looks incredible.

BEHOLD!

View this post on Instagram

Snowlandia – Śnieżny labirynt 2020?

A post shared by Snowlandia (@snowlandia_zakopane) on

Snowlandia is a sort of winter amusement park located in Zakopane, a region on the southern border of Poland.

While they offer other attractions like sledding, skiing, and a “mini zoo,” their main attraction is an enormous maze, constructed of snow and ice and containing all sorts of hidden treasures.

The maze was first constructed in 2015, and has to be rebuilt each year.

It takes a crew of 50 people about a month to put it together, and sudden temperature spikes can reverse a lot of work quickly.

The structure owes its design to Derek Pytlik and Artur Haber, and takes around 60,000 snow blocks to complete.

It’s a big draw for tourists, especially ones with kids.

View this post on Instagram

#myall❤

A post shared by ??????í?? ???á???á ? (@slavomirapekarova) on

So bundle up, and don’t get lost.

A lot of folks refer to it as the “biggest” or “largest” maze of its kind, but we can’t find anything official to back that up.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest snow maze was created in Manitoba, Canada, and the largest ice maze was in Buffalo, New York.

Your guess is as good as ours as to what the difference is between those categories…

Getting lost in the cold isn’t most peoples’ idea of a good time, but this is tempting.

Would you brave the great Ice Labyrinth?

Let us know in the comments.

The post There’s a Giant Ice Labyrinth in Poland You’ll Want to Get Lost In appeared first on UberFacts.

‘Baby Snowdas’ Are Popping up and They Are Delightful

It’s winter, so you know that a lot of kids (and some adults) and playing out in the snow and trying to come up with awesome snowmen to impress their friends and neighbors.

Ladies and gentlemen…I present to you…the Baby Snowda!

You knew it had to happen at some point, right?

Here are some that might just inspire you to build your own in your front yard.

1. That is awesome.

2. A night shot.

3. Wearing a sweater and everything.

4. A lil’ green guy.

5. Holding a cup of coffee.

6. Towering above the plains.

7. Made some friends.

8. That is HUGE.

9. Keeping warm.

10. Go ahead and carry that one around with you.

11. I love it!

Those are awesome!

Have you made a Baby Snowda yet? Or any other kind of snow creature?

Share some photos with us in the comments!

The post ‘Baby Snowdas’ Are Popping up and They Are Delightful appeared first on UberFacts.

Man Creates Wintertime Shelters for Stray Cats out of Discarded Coolers

This is a great story.

Philip Rogich is a man we should all take a lesson from. The resident of Ogden, Utah, has taken it upon himself to look out for some of his town’s feral and stray critters this winter, which looks like it’s going to be a long and cold one.

Rogich takes discarded coolers that would have ended up in the trash and makes them into shelters for stray and feral kitties so they have a place to avoid the cold, harsh winter.

Posted by Batman of Ogden on Saturday, November 16, 2019

Rogich said, “Normally the cooler keeps things cold. We’re going to use it to keep animals warm. I actually have a 6-inch drill bit and then once you drill the hole you just use some pipe insulation to pad it. Everybody’s got a cooler in their garage that they’re not using.”

Rogich added that he uses straw inside the coolers because it dries relatively easily and that a regular cooler can hold up to three cats if they’re in the mood to snuggle.

Posted by Batman of Ogden on Saturday, November 16, 2019

Rogich said that he’s placed a few of the cat coolers around his town because “[Feral cats] just disappear, get overlooked. They get cold in the wintertime too. They’re living creatures…to me, living creatures, they deserve to have their basic needs met.”

Amen to that.

Productive Cat cooler day. Built 13 shelters all will be out by the end of the day. Took in 10 old coolers with 10…

Posted by Batman of Ogden on Thursday, November 14, 2019

Since the story of Rogich’s work gained popularity in the media, people have been donating old coolers and straw to him. If you want to get in touch with Rogich or donate supplies to him, you can reach out to him through his Facebook page.

Keep up the great work! Let’s do our best to help out all the cold and lonely animals that will be out on the streets this winter.

The post Man Creates Wintertime Shelters for Stray Cats out of Discarded Coolers appeared first on UberFacts.

Every State Ranked by How Miserable Its Winters Are

It’s predicted to be a loooooong, cold, crazy winter from late 2019 into the early months of 2020.

This article ranks all 50 states in terms of how bad, or, let’s just go ahead and say miserable, their winters are. These rankings come from Thrillist and take into account temperatures, weather patterns, how bad the roads are during the winter, and even the success of each state’s winter sports teams.

Let’s take a look at the rankings, starting with the least miserable. Number 50 probably won’t be a huge surprise….

50. Hawaii

 

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49. Arizona

48. California

47. Colorado

 

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46. Florida

45. New Mexico

44. Louisiana

43. Texas

42. Georgia

 

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41. Alabama

40. South Carolina

39. Mississippi

38. North Carolina

 

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37. Nevada

36. Tennessee

35. Utah

 

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34. Arkansas

33. Oklahoma

32. Virginia

 

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31. Maryland

30. Kentucky

29. West Virginia

28. Missouri

 

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27. Kansas

26. Delaware

25. Nebraska

24. New Jersey

23. Pennsylvania

 

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22. Vermont

21. Rhode Island

20. New York

 

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19. Connecticut

18. Washington

17. Oregon

16. Indiana

 

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15. New Hampshire

14. Ohio

13. Illinois

12. Wyoming

 

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11. Iowa

10. Massachusetts

9. Montana

8. Idaho

 

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7. Wisconsin

6. South Dakota

5. Maine

4. North Dakota

 

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3. Alaska

2. Michigan

1. Minnesota

 

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Those poor folks in Minnesota…

Stay warm out there this winter!

The post Every State Ranked by How Miserable Its Winters Are appeared first on UberFacts.

A Guy Trapped in the Snow for 5 Days Survived on Taco Sauce Packets

Jeremy Taylor is a lucky man…and he has taco sauce to thank for it. The Oregon man and his dog were trapped for nearly five days after his Toyota 4Runner got stuck in the snow on a forest service road.

Taylor said he fell asleep in the car the first night and woke up the next day only to realize that more snow had fallen during the night. He and his dog tried to walk to safety, but Taylor said the deep snow made it impossible and they returned to the vehicle.

Photo Credit: Facebook

The Sheriff’s Office released a missing person report asking for help in locating Taylor.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Taylor said he periodically started his car to keep warm and that he ate taco sauce packets from Taco Bell that he found in the vehicle.

Finally, after almost five agonizing days spent snowbound in his vehicle, a snowmobiler found Taylor and called 911. The Sheriff’s Office arrived and found that Taylor and his dog, Ally, were both in good condition but were very hungry.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Taylor let all his friends and family know that he was okay.

Photo Credit: Facebook

And he added this comment…

Photo Credit: Facebook

Stay off those back roads, Jeremy!

The post A Guy Trapped in the Snow for 5 Days Survived on Taco Sauce Packets appeared first on UberFacts.