By Tim Lambert
According to English folklore if it’s mild in January, it will be cold between February and May. So if it’s cold in January, never mind, it might be a good thing!
13 January is St Hilary’s Day. Traditionally, it’s the coldest day of the year.
Between the 14th century and the 19th century, the Earth went through a ‘cold’ period, and winters in England were severe. The River Thames in London often froze and people erected stalls on the ice. In 1688 Samuel Pepys wrote ‘A very violent frost began which lasted until 6 February. Its extremity was so great that the pools were frozen at least 18 inches thick. The Thames was so frozen that a great street from Temple to Southwark was built with shops and all manner things were sold. There was also bull-baiting (a ‘sport’ in which a bull was tied to a post and dogs were trained to attack it) and a great many shows and tricks to be seen’.
On 1 February 1814, the last frost fair officially opened. People even walked an elephant over the ice. Now that was pushing their luck! But the 1814 frost fair was the last, soon after the Earth began to grow warmer.
On 5 January 1709, the Great Frost began. For months, there was extremely cold weather in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of people died. Some froze to death. But some places were cut off from supplies of food. Hunger and cold carried off thousands.
Ice cream was first recorded in England in 1672 when King Charles II ate some. It was recorded in America in 1744 in Maryland when someone mentioned strawberry ice cream. However, ice cream was a luxury until the 20th century.
On 27 December 1836, eight people were killed by a snow avalanche in the town of Lewes, Sussex England.
In 1867 the ice on Regents Park Pond in London froze. People went skating on the ice. But the ice was thin and on 15 January 1867 the ice broke and about 200 people fell into the freezing water. 40 people died.
People have skated on ice on frozen rivers and ponds for centuries but the first artificial ice rink was switched on on 7 January 1876.
On 11 March 1888, a severe blizzard hit the east coast of the USA. About 400 people died.
On 14 December 1911, Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole. In 1926, he flew over the North Pole in an airship.
Ice Hockey was first played at the Olympic Games in April 1920.
In 1922, ice cream was sold in the street for the first time (from tricycles with a box on the front).
The ice lolly (popsicle) was patented in 1923 by Frank Epperson.
On 26 January 1924, ice skater Charles Jewtraw became the first person to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. (The Winter Olympics were first held in 1924).
On 29 November 1929, Richard E Byrd became the first person to fly over the South Pole.
On 12 August 1930, Clarence Birdseye patented a method of quick freezing food. Quick freezing preserved the taste of the food when it was thawed out. If it was frozen slowly it was unpalatable mush when it thawed. His invention made the frozen food industry viable.
On 17 March 1959, USS Skate became the first submarine to surface at the North Pole.
The first colour TV advert in Britain was shown on 15 November 1969. It was for frozen peas.
On 19 January 1977, snow fell on Miami, Florida the first time snow was recorded in the city.
On 19 September 1991, the frozen body of Otzi, the Iceman, was discovered. He died around 3,300 BC.
December 2010 was the coldest in Britain for 100 years. On 1 December 2010, the Forth Bridge in Scotland closed for the first time since it opened in 1964 due to snow. On 2 December 2010, a temperature of -21 degrees centigrade was recorded in Scotland.
On 13 December 2013, it snowed in Cairo, Egypt for the first time in 112 years.
The World’s coldest temperature was recorded in Antarctica on 20 July 1983, -89.2 degrees centigrade.
27 February is International Polar Bear Day. The first recorded polar bear in England was brought to the Tower of London in 1252. He was allowed to fish in the River Thames on the end of a long chain.
1 December is Antarctica Day.
Hubbard Glacier, Alaska