How cold was it?

FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2022-001 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (January 5, 2022) – In Issue 2022-002 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we learn a little cold weather history from across the “frozen” pond.

IT WAS SO COLD…

Today, in 1709, began the coldest winter on record in Europe.  Its nickname – The Great Frost.

Even today, climatologists cannot explain the unusual weather of record lows all over Europe.

Some amazing anecdotal images reported:

Rooster combs froze solid and fell off.  Trees exploded when their sap froze.  Frozen bread required an axe to cut it.  People woke in the morning to find their nightcaps frozen to the bedstead.

Many bodies of water froze, including the Baltic Sea and the Venetian lagoons.

Homann’s map of Europe from 35 years later is shown here.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.