December 11, 2024 • 34 mins
Taking photographs of microscopic snow crystals is an art. Aarati tells the story of the man who braved blizzards in his obsession to capture the beauty of snowflakes.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Arpita (00:12):
Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Smart Tea Podcast,
where we talk about the lives ofscientists and innovators who
shape the world.
How are you, Aarati?
Aarati (00:21):
I'm doing pretty well, Arpita.
I feel like, you know, I'mlacking motivation to do
anything.
It's December, it's like betweenholidays, and so I'm just like,
okay, can we just cruise onthrough the end of this year?
I'm so ready for this year to beover.
Arpita (00:37):
I hear that.
I also feel the same way.
I'm unfortunately not receivingthat from the world that I'm
living in.
My, Work has been so busy.
'cause I think everyone istrying to spend their budgets
before the end of the year.
Aarati (00:55):
Mm hmm.
Arpita (00:55):
and there's so many really tight timelines and I am
just like every day feelinundated with tasks.
And I work east coast hours andso this morning I had a meeting
at like 6:30 in the morning
Aarati (01:09):
Oh my god.
Arpita (01:10):
uh, We joke about how I'm a morning person.
I am a morning person.
However, to be, like, awake andready to talk to a client at 6.
30 in the morning is a reallydifferent requirement than wake
up at 6.
30 in the morning to pet a catand make some coffee.
Like, those are really differentthings.
(01:30):
I have to, like, get dressed,wash my face, make some coffee,
like, slap my, like, slap myself
Aarati (01:37):
Yeah, like look awake and be presentable and have
interesting things to say.
Arpita (01:43):
Yes, and like, get on early enough that I can get my
ducks in a row so that when Ihave to actually talk about
things, I can sound smart andknow what I'm talking about.
Aarati (01:53):
It's just like, yeah, us in California, I feel like we
always get the brunt end ofthose morning meetings.
It's like, what time isconvenient for everyone?
Oh yeah, well, it's 12 o'clockfor you, but it's, 6 30 for me.
Yeah.
Arpita (02:06):
Oh, that's tough.
Aarati (02:07):
Yeah.
It's really tough.
Arpita (02:09):
It's, it's really tough.
Um, I am or except my excitingnews is that I'm starting a new
job on Monday and will hopefullyshare more very soon, but this
will require me to work pacifictime hours like everybody else.
Aarati (02:23):
Excellent.
Arpita (02:23):
maybe I will return to a normal person schedule where I
go to bed at a normal time andwake up at a normal time and end
work at a normal time.
Aarati (02:31):
Congratulations.
Yeah, congratulations.
I think it's been a, it's been atough year for you with all the
weddings and all the morningmeetings and everything, so I
think you deserve a kind ofrelaxing 2025.
Arpita (02:46):
I'm very much hoping that, that, I'm hoping that
after this week, things willsort of settle down a little bit
more as I, you know, quote,unquote, onboard.
I'm hoping that I'll just sitthere and click through a bunch
of trainings and not do a lot ofwork like that would be great.
to
Aarati (03:04):
All those cyber security type
Arpita (03:07):
exactly.
I'll do all the sexualharassment, all the cyber
security.
That's what I want to do.
I want to click through a bunchof trainings and not do anything
for the
Aarati (03:15):
That sounds wonderful.
Arpita (03:16):
That's what I'm manifesting.
Aarati (03:17):
Yes.
That sounds wonderful.
And I think, yeah, it makes alot of sense too.
Like why, why jump all the wayinto a job when you could just
start in January after all theholidays?
That makes a lot of sense.
Arpita (03:29):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So
Aarati (03:31):
great.
That sounds
Arpita (03:32):
where I'm at.
I'm ready for the rest of myyear to be cozy.
Aarati (03:35):
Yes.
Well, speaking of cozy, I have avery cozy story for you today.
Arpita (03:42):
I'm excited.
Aarati (03:43):
So originally we were planning not to do one in
December, but then I was like,this story is just so apt for
this time of year.
And it's short.
It's a shorter story.
So this is probably going to bea shorter episode.
But it's a good one and it'sjust like, you can have fun with
it.
There's no hard thinkinginvolved.
It's just a really, yeah, it's
Arpita (04:04):
We don't have to think about physics, or math, or
chemistry.
We don't have to think about howdifferent reactions occur.
Oh my gosh, what a treat!
Aarati (04:14):
just, yeah, it's just a really fun, nice, cute story
that I think you're gonna like.
It's like a little Christmasgift to you.
Arpita (04:22):
Thank you! Oh my gosh, I can't, I can't wait.
This is actually exactly what Ineeded.
You know, every once in a while,I think about, Emmy Noether's
story, and how I just wasstaring at you with blank eyes
as you said words.
Aarati (04:37):
Yeah.
Arpita (04:38):
And I was like,
Aarati (04:40):
Yes.
And I was trying so hard.
I'm like, I am trying to explainthis in a way that makes sense
but also won't get all thephysicists mad at me.
Arpita (04:52):
No, you did a great job.
It was not you.
It was, in fact, me.
And I was just like, huh?
Aarati (05:00):
That was a one.
Arpita (05:01):
I think about that every once in a while and I'm just
like, damn, that was a crazyepisode.
Aarati (05:04):
That a crazy episode, and if you'll notice, I have not
really forayed back into thatworld of mathematics and physics
since then.
Arpita (05:13):
You definitely made me realize that that is not
something I'm capable of doing.
I'm
Aarati (05:17):
crazy.
I'm not either, it was mybrother and, it was every, all
the other physicists in my lifewho helped me through that.
yeah, so this
Arpita (05:26):
Thank
Aarati (05:27):
this is
Arpita (05:28):
Not, Not, Emmy Noether.
Aarati (05:30):
No, is completely the opposite.
Today we're going to be talkingabout a man named Wilson
Bentley, who is also known asthe Snowflake Man.
Arpita (05:39):
I'm already obsessed.
Aarati (05:40):
yes.
So, very, very wintry Decemberstory.
So, lLet's get into his life.
Wilson was born on February 9th,1865 in Jericho, Vermont.
Many people in that area werefarmers, including his father,
Thomas Edwin Bentley, and hisolder brother, Charlie.
(06:02):
His mother, Fanny, had been aschool teacher before she got
married, and so she homeschooledWilson until he was 14.
Arpita (06:11):
My cat's shelter name was Fanny.
Aarati (06:13):
Really?
I'm not sure how I feel aboutthe name Fanny for a cat
Arpita (06:20):
it didn't, it didn't last long actually, that was,
she was promptly renamed.
Aarati (06:24):
Poppy is very cute.
Arpita (06:26):
I agree, thank you.
I think Poppy is very cute too,but she was, her shelter name
was Fanny, and then Pepper'sshelter name was Max, so they
would have been Max and Fanny,which is like maybe cute, but
Aarati (06:37):
That sounds like grandparents names Grandpa Max
and Grandma Fanny That
Arpita (06:43):
That's actually, that's
Aarati (06:44):
sound like that.
Yeah shelter name was Enzo,which is close, but
Arpita (06:51):
actually not bad, but yeah, why are these all
grandparent
Aarati (06:54):
Yeah, Yeah, very Italian grandpa name.
So, yeah.
Yeah, but, uh, Fanny, hismother, was a school teacher and
homeschooled Wilson until he was14.
And she was really the one whoinstilled this love of learning
in Wilson and encouraged hisfascination with nature.
So he would study trees,insects, and kept a journal
(07:17):
where he recorded the weather.
And his mother also had a set ofencyclopedias that he kind of
just bookwormed his way through.
So just loved to learn and shereally encouraged that.
So, even though he lived in acommunity of farmers who, as a
rule, hated the long, hardwinter months because nothing
(07:37):
would grow in the winter, uh,that was actually Little
Wilson's favorite season.
He lived for winter.
They lived in an area called theSnow Belt, and they would get up
to 120 inches of snow everyyear.
Arpita (07:53):
Wait, where was this?
Aarati (07:54):
In Jericho, Vermont,
Arpita (07:56):
Oh, okay, I missed that for some reason.
I heard the Jericho and then Ididn't process Vermont.
That makes a lot of sense
Aarati (08:03):
Yeah.
So, Wilson looked forward towinter every single year.
Kind of sounds like basicallyfrom the beginning he was born
with this innate fascination forsnow and snowflakes.
Later in his life, Wilson said,quote, It was my mother that
made it possible for me at 15 tobegin the work to which I have
devoted my life.
She had a small microscope,which she had used in her school
(08:25):
teaching.
When the other boys of my agewere playing with pop guns and
slingshots, I was absorbed instudying things under this
microscope.
Drops of water, tiny fragmentsof stone, a feather dropped from
a bird's wing, a delicatelyveined petal from some flower.
But always, from the beginning,it was snowflakes that
fascinated me most.
(08:46):
The farm folk up in this northcountry dread the winter, but I
was supremely happy from the dayof the first snowfall, which
usually came in November, untilthe last one, which sometimes
came as late as May.
Yeah.
Arpita (08:59):
It's really cute.
Do you watch Gilmore Girls?
Aarati (09:02):
I do not.
Arpita (09:04):
There's the main character Lorelei is obsessed
with snow and the first snowespecially and there's all every
season.
There's an episode where she haslike the first snow where she's
so excited about it.
I can't relate as a Californian,but that's what that reminds me
of.
It's like everyone around her islike snow is the worst.
It causes so many problems andshe's always so excited about
(09:24):
snow and I've been doing myYearly rewatch of Gilmore Girls.
That's what it made me think of.
Can't relate but it is cute
Aarati (09:31):
No, I can't relate either.
I I'm a summer person for sureand I was feeling cold while
writing this story.
It was like, I know it's all inmy head, but I was just like, Oh
my God, it's like snowflakes.
Yeah, but I'm so lucky to livein California in December when
it's like 75 degrees out andit's so nice, like, yeah, so I
(09:53):
can't, I can't relate, but I'mglad he lived in a place where
he could study snowflakes to hisheart's content.
So Wilson spent a couple ofyears looking at snowflake
crystals under this microscopeand he became fascinated with
the beauty of them.
He would make sketches trying tocapture what he saw because he
really wanted to be able toshare what he was seeing with
(10:14):
others, but he wasn't very happywith his drawings because he
couldn't capture all of theintricate details before the
snowflake melted.
Mm hmm.
Yeah.
He said, quote, I found thatsnowflakes were masterpieces of
design.
No design was ever repeated.
When a snowflake melted, justthat much beauty was gone
(10:34):
without leaving any recordbehind, end quote.
Arpita (10:38):
Yeah, I do agree that snowflakes are very pretty like
when the like crystal structuresfall on your jacket If you're
wearing with black gloves orlike a black jacket, especially
with like high contrast.
They do look very pretty Verypretty, unfortunately.
I know.
Aarati (10:55):
And yeah, we were just talking about this earlier, but
I've started putting all theepisodes of our podcast up on
YouTube and like, I havepictures where I can find them
about people's childhood or whatthey were studying, and I'm so
excited to put this one onYouTube because there are going
to be so many snowflakepictures.
of like all the snowflakes thathe took.
So I'm really excited once thisone gets up there.
(11:18):
So yeah, cause they'rebeautiful.
Um, so after a few years oftrying to draw the snowflakes,
Wilson read about a new type ofcamera that could take pictures
through a microscope.
So he asked his parents if theywould buy the camera for him.
And although his mother wastotally excited for him and was
on board.
His father was the one theyneeded to convince.
(11:40):
And his father was like, we'refarmers.
Like, why are you screwingaround with snowflakes and
microscopes?
That's not practical at all.
But finally his mother andWilson together both made
Wilson's father cave and theybought a bellows camera, which
is a very large type of camera.
So in keeping with the farmingtheme, the camera was said to be
(12:02):
larger than a baby calf and costas much as Wilson's father's
herd of cows.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Arpita (12:09):
Wait, what?
I mean, I guess this is the erathat we're talking about where,
you know, things are obviouslynot as sleek as we think about
of them now, but a baby calf?
Aarati (12:20):
Yeah, it, like, I've seen pictures of it or, like,
videos of it, like, you can'thold it.
It needs to be sitting on atable.
And it kind of looks like agiant accordion, um, like, the
bellows of an accordion, hencethe name Bellows Camera.
Yeah, so it's, it's gigantic.
Yeah.
So the lens of the camera is atthe end of the accordion like
(12:42):
structure, and the lens can bemoved backwards and forwards so
you can focus on whatever yoursubject is.
Arpita (12:47):
Mmm.
Okay.
Aarati (12:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, he got this camera, butthat's barely, like, step one of
this process he has to gothrough to take a picture of a
snowflake.
So, first of all, photography'sa very new field at this time,
and most people were takingportraits of people.
So, Like, although the Bellowscamera had the ability to take
(13:13):
pictures through a microscope,no one was really using it to do
that.
Arpita (13:16):
Got it.
Okay.
Aarati (13:17):
So, Wilson had to find a way to attach the microscope to
the camera so he could takepictures.
Then he had to actually learnhow to use the camera, and I'm,
like, remember he lives in thisfarming community, like, there's
no one to teach him that.
Arpita (13:33):
it's not as simple as, you know, like, clicking a
button.
He has to figure out the filmand how to process it.
Like, all
Aarati (13:39):
Yeah, yeah, because he has to, like, figure out how to
develop it and, like, all the,yeah, everything.
And it's not like he had Googleat that time where he could
just, like, watch a tutorialvideo or something, you know?
Arpita (13:51):
Yeah.
He had to, he was readingencyclopedias.
Also, I clearly remember beingin elementary school, middle
school, before Google was asubiquitous as it is now and if
you wanted to know something,you had to go to a book and look
it up.
Like, can you, can you imaginedoing that now?
Like, I cannot.
Like, I realized this was a partof my childhood and my life, and
(14:14):
I, and yet I cannot fathom notGoogling every passing thought
that I have in my brain.
Aarati (14:20):
Yeah.
Arpita (14:22):
Like, please never look at my Google search history, I
feel like this is such aubiquitous thing
Aarati (14:25):
It's so random.
Arpita (14:27):
no, I don't want, I don't want people to know what
my random thought processes are.
Aarati (14:31):
Yeah, no.
Like, I remember in elementaryschool when we did reports, we
learned that the way to, findinformation about whatever topic
you were researching was go tolibrary, find that section in
the library that talks
Arpita (14:44):
the Dewey Decimal System, the card catalogs, yeah.
Aarati (14:48):
It's just like, oh my gosh, and then it was such a
process.
Yeah.
And then all of a sudden it'slike, Oh, you could just Google
it.
Arpita (14:55):
It's crazy.
So he's learning how to processfilm.
Aarati (14:59):
He's, he's learning how to use the camera, process film.
Next, he had to actually collectthe snowflakes.
So, the way he did this was hewould walk around outside with a
tray that had a piece of blackvelvet on it to catch the
snowflakes on.
And when a bunch of snowflakeswould clump together, he would
gently separate them using aturkey or chicken feather, which
(15:19):
was very easy to come by on thefarm.
And then he would place thistray of separated snowflakes
under the microscope and try totake a picture, but if the
camera wasn't focused, the wheelto focus it was up near the
front of the camera, and so hecouldn't look into the camera
and focus it at the same time.
(15:39):
Yeah.
So he had to rig up like thislittle string and pulley system
So he could focus the camerawhile he was looking through it.
Arpita (15:48):
Oh my god.
Also, like, isn't there a,there's probably a light bulb,
no?
To create some sort of light inorder to take the picture?
Isn't that emitting heat?
Like, how are these individualsnowflakes not melting?
Aarati (16:01):
So yeah, that was my next sentence actually like
after all of this.
There's the very realpossibility that the snowflake
would melt Yeah, especiallybecause like again since
photography is so new exposuretimes could be up to 90 seconds
long to get a good photograph
Arpita (16:18):
90 seconds?
Oh my gosh.
Aarati (16:20):
Yeah.
Arpita (16:20):
That's so crazy.
Aarati (16:21):
So your thing has to like stay still and perfect and
pristine for 90 seconds.
So to help with that, all of hiswork had to be done outside or
in a really cold shed in themiddle of winter.
Arpita (16:34):
Sounds fun.
Aarati (16:35):
Yeah.
He loved it though.
The first winter after he gothis camera, he didn't get any
good pictures of snowflakes atall.
Uh, they all just looked likeshadows or kept melting before
he could properly focus thecamera and capture their image.
But he kept on trying and makingtweaks to his setup, and
finally, in a huge snowstorm onJanuary 15th, 1885, he managed
(16:58):
to capture the firstphotomicrographs of his
snowflakes.
He said, quote, the day that Ideveloped the first negative
made by this method and found itgood.
I felt almost like falling on myknees beside that apparatus and
worshiping it.
It was the greatest moment of mylife.
Arpita (17:15):
Oh,
Aarati (17:17):
Yeah.
Arpita (17:17):
cute.
Aarati (17:18):
Yeah.
can just imagine him being likeso happy that after years he's
finally got his picture of asnowflake.
Hi everyone, Aarati here.
I hope you're enjoying thepodcast.
If so, and you wish someonewould tell your science story, I
(17:38):
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K O M, that can help.
Sykom blends creativity withscientific accuracy to create
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We work with academicresearchers, tech companies, non
(18:00):
profits, or really any scientistto help simplify your science.
Check us out at sykommer.
com.
That's S Y K O M M E R dot com.
Okay, back to the story.
Over the next 13 years, Wilsonkept taking pictures of
snowflakes and perfecting hismethod for developing the
(18:20):
photos.
But interestingly, he didn't trytoo hard to share them with the
rest of the world, because mostof his, like, immediate
community that he was in, thefarmers around him weren't
really as fascinated bysnowflakes as he was.
And he totally understood this.
Yeah.
He totally got it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
(18:40):
He was just like, like heunderstood that most people just
saw his pictures as pretty andthen that's like about it.
Um, there's nothing to get superobsessed about.
So, he would share his pictureswith friends and family, and he
even sold a few pictures forjust a few pennies or turned
them into birthday cards.
And some nights he would alsohang a bed sheet over a
(19:03):
clothesline and project imagesof the snowflakes so that people
could just come and see them.
Like a little nightlyneighborhood slideshow kind of
thing.
Arpita (19:13):
That's cute.
Aarati (19:14):
Yeah.
but although his neighbors andthe farmers in his community
weren't too interested, itstarted to attract the attention
of artists who became inspiredby the snowflake's crystal
structures because, as wementioned, they are beautiful.
But it also attracted theattention of university
professors, including one namedGeorge Henry Perkins, who is a
professor of natural history atthe University of Vermont.
(19:37):
Professor Perkins convincedWilson that even though he
didn't have formal scientifictraining or anything, he really
did have something special andhe should share his work with
the outside world.
So, Wilson collaborated withProfessor Perkins to publish his
first article in 1898 inAppleton's popular scientific
(19:57):
monthly called, A Study of SnowCrystals., In this paper, Wilson
published some of the pictureshe had taken and laid out his
method for taking the pictures.
And he also talked about some ofthe things that he had learned
about snow crystal formation.
For example, he had seen thateach snowflake begins as a tiny
speck of water that forms arounda dust particle in the sky.
(20:22):
And then as it falls, more waterattaches to it and freezes
outward in branches.
Arpita (20:29):
I don't think I knew that.
I that makes a ton of sense.
It needs something to attach to,but like even any kind of
crystal needs something toattach to.
I just didn't really
Aarati (20:40):
I think rain also forms the same way, like raindrops,
which we'll get but raindrops doform kind of around the same,
like they need a little dustparticle or something to, so
that the water can collectaround it.
Arpita (20:55):
Makes sense.
I've never thought about it.
Yeah,
Aarati (20:58):
Yeah.
And because of the fact thatwater always freezes in a
hexagonal lattice structure,snowflakes are always hexagonal.
Arpita (21:07):
Yeah.
And then crystals probably likebranch off of that
Aarati (21:10):
Yeah.
Which is also, like, I neverreally thought about that
before, but I was like, that'strue, like, snowflakes are, do
always have like six sides, orsymmetry around six sides.
So many different things affecthow the branches of the
snowflake grow, including howmuch wind and moisture is in the
(21:31):
air, and the temperature changesin the different layers of the
atmosphere as the snowflakefalls.
Crystals formed in warmerweather temperatures were larger
and had more branches than theones formed when it was colder.
Arpita (21:45):
Interesting.
Aarati (21:46):
Yeah, so I've seen like pictures of this, the ones that
form when it's colder, theyalmost look like hexagonal kind
of dinner plates, you know,there's not that many
Arpita (21:55):
Uh huh.
Aarati (21:56):
Branches coming off, um, but the ones that are formed in
the warmer kind of temperatures,they look more almost like a
fractal, like a lot of differentsmall little, you know, branches
going this way.
They're more likequintessentially what we think
of as a snowflake.
Arpita (22:12):
Yeah.
Like your third grade project,cut up snowflake.
Aarati (22:16):
Exactly.
And he even thought that if wecontinue to study and understand
all of the different factorsthat go into snowflake
formation, he really believedthat one day we might be able to
just look at a picture of asnowflake, like any snowflake,
and be able to tell exactly whattype of storm it came from, how
high up in the atmosphere it wasformed, which way the wind was
(22:37):
blowing, how cold it was, andwhether it was a blizzard or
just a gentle flurry, all fromjust the photograph of one
snowflake.
He also made the assertion thatevery snowflake he had seen up
to that point seemed to beunique.
He had never seen two snowflakesthat had exactly the same shape,
and by this time he had takenliterally hundreds of pictures.
Arpita (22:59):
That's definitely something.
Aarati (23:00):
Yeah.
that's why I kind of gotinterested in this, because I've
heard that saying, like, no twoare alike.
and I was like, who came up withthat?
Like who like who figured thatout?
You know?
And that's how I learned aboutWilson Bentley in the first
place.
So this paper pushed Wilson intothe public eye.
(23:21):
He started publishing more inarticles in National Geographic,
Nature, Popular Science andScientific American.
Academic researchers startedrequesting copies of his
snowflake pictures to study.
Jewelers and engravers alsostarted asking of his photos so
they could use them asinspiration.
Arpita (23:40):
That makes a ton of sense.
Aarati (23:41):
Yeah.
In 1904, he donated a collectionof 500 snowflake photos to the
Smithsonian, and that was hugefor him to know that the
Smithsonian would like, betaking care of them, and making
portion of his life's work wouldbe protected.
So, he happy happy....
Arpita (24:01):
That's huge.
Aarati (24:01):
about that.
Yeah.
He also expanded his work totake photographs of other things
in nature, but especiallyanything having to do with snow,
rain, or dew.
So.
Very moisture related,
Arpita (24:14):
Like, weather.
Aarati (24:15):
Weather.
Yes.
He was the first American tomeasure the size of raindrops,
and the way he did this wasactually interesting.
He sifted some flour from thekitchen, just like all purpose
wheat flour, into a pan, andthen he held the pan in the rain
for a few seconds.
And then when a raindrop fellinto the flour, it would soak up
(24:38):
the flour and form a tiny littledough ball that Wilson would dry
and then measure.
Arpita (24:44):
Wow.
That is quite interesting.
That is genius.
And I guess you would need it tobe raining very gently for that,
right?
So that you don't end up withmore than one raindrop in one
spot.
Aarati (24:56):
Or like, you just have to be really fast about it.
If it's like a like heavydownpour like, yeah.
Arpita (25:02):
yeah.
Aarati (25:03):
one second.
Yeah.
So from 1898 to 1904, hemeasured 344 raindrops across 70
different storms and reportedhis finding in the Monthly
Weather Review.
Arpita (25:17):
So you just have all these little tiny balls of dough
that he's just like,
Aarati (25:21):
Yeah, this is, this this raindrop and this raindrop.
He found that the largestraindrops were about six
millimeters and that differenttypes of storms had different
types of raindrops.
So very much snowflakes.
Arpita (25:35):
It's It's starting to give spectrum, but yeah, let's
going.
Aarati (25:39):
Yeah, a little bit.
His, like, one minded obsessionthis since he was like, ten.
Yeah.
Arpita (25:48):
I thought that earlier, but now, now I feel it more
definitively.
Aarati (25:51):
Yes.
And speaking of which, like,he's doing all of this while
he's primarily being a farmer
Arpita (25:57):
Right, that's what I'm not full time job.
No, this like a fun side projectfor him.
Aarati (26:03):
Yeah.
Arpita (26:04):
which another level of dimension to this.
It's like, yeah, I did a lot ofweird shit in the lab too, but
that was my primary occupation.
That was what I was activelybeing paid to do and this is
real different.
Aarati (26:16):
Yes, this is really, like, he's spending every spare
moment he has thinking aboutthis and doing this.
When his father passed away,Wilson and his brother Charlie
took over the farm, and theyeven expanded it, so they're
doing really well.
Wilson never married, butCharlie did, and Charlie had
eight children.
So, Yeah, so Charlie's familytook over half of the farmhouse,
(26:42):
and Wilson had a great time withall his nieces and nephews, and
he kind of, I feel like, turnedinto his mother in a way, in
that he really encouraged hisnieces and nephews to go explore
nature, and they would bring himback things to photograph, from
all their,
Arpita (26:57):
That's very cute.
That feels like something alittle kid would love.
Aarati (27:01):
Yeah, I could just imagine a little kid going like,
Uncle Wilson, I found a leaf.
Can you take a picture underyour microscope?
And he'd be excited too.
He'd be like, yes, let's do it.
So by 1920, Wilson had writtennumerous articles, both in
scientific journals, but alsofor the general public.
He really wanted others to seethe beauty of snowflakes.
(27:22):
He became known across thenation as the Snowflake Man or
Snowflake Bentley.
He continued to take pictures ofsnowflakes for the rest of his
life, as well as basicallybecome an amateur meteorologist.
In 1924, the AmericanMeteorological Society gave the
first research grant they everawarded to Wilson for 40 years
(27:45):
of extremely patient work.
Arpita (27:47):
Wow.
Aarati (27:47):
Yeah, it was less than 4, 000, but Wilson was just
thrilled to be recognized by thescientific community in general.
Arpita (27:55):
I mean, just like an amateur scientist, but the fact
that he's publishing papers atall or academic or academic
recognition
Aarati (28:03):
yes.
Arpita (28:04):
Is huge.
I feel like definitely in astrong contrast to a lot of the
other people we've talked aboutwho are doing this as their
profession, as we've mentioned,and he's just doing this for
fun.
Aarati (28:15):
Mm hmm, yeah.
And I think that's, he totallyrecognized that and he was just
like, I'm so honored that thescientific community actually
recognizes my hobby as somethingworth, you know, worth being
studied and worth beingrecognized by the scientific
community.
So in 1931, a physicist whoworked at the U.
(28:37):
S.
Weather Bureau, Dr.
William J.
Humphreys, had heard aboutWilson's photomicrographs and
reached out to him aboutpublishing a collection of his
best snowflakes.
While Dr.
Humphreys gathered funding forthe project, Wilson sorted
through his collection ofsnowflake photos.
At this point, he had taken over5, 300 snowflake photos.
Arpita (29:01):
Wow.
Aarati (29:01):
Just, a ridiculous number.
Arpita (29:04):
That's so many.
Aarati (29:06):
Together, they found a publisher, and in November that
year, a book called SnowCrystals was published, which
contained almost 2, 500 images,including 100 photos of frost
and dew.
And that book is still in printtoday, so you can go buy a copy.
I feel like that'd be a reallynice, like, coffee table book.
Arpita (29:28):
Yeah, totally.
Vintage is very cool right now.
Aarati (29:31):
Right?
All these, like, vintagephotomicrographs.
That'd be amazing.
So this was a huge achievement,and I'm sure Wilson was just
overjoyed to have his workimmortalized this way.
But unfortunately, he didn't getmuch time to bask in his
accomplishment because just aweek or so later he was walking
through a snowstorm aroundJericho and he contracted
(29:54):
pneumonia.
By the time a doctor was called,it was too late and on December
23rd, 1931, Wilson died at theage of 66.
Arpita (30:04):
Yeah, it's crazy how, I don't know, lethal pneumonia was
until so recently.
We don't think of it, I mean itstill sucks, but you don't think
about it as something that killsyou, usually.
Aarati (30:16):
Yeah, usually.
I did also find it kind ofironic that, you
Arpita (30:21):
didn't want to say that, but
Aarati (30:22):
yeah.
it is.
Arpita (30:23):
I didn't want to say that.
Aarati (30:24):
Yeah.
But it is.
As for his legacy, he wasn't asillustrious as some of the other
scientists we've talked about,but he still got a fair amount
of recognition.
At Vermont State University, theBentley Science Hall is named
for him.
Arpita (30:39):
Mm hmm.
Aarati (30:40):
In addition to the book he published, a number of
museums have displayed his photomicrographs, including the
Fairbanks Museum and Planetariumin Vermont and the Field Museum
in Chicago.
And in 1999, a children's bookabout Wilson's life called
Snowflake Bentley, written byJacqueline Briggs Martin and
illustrated by Mary Azarian, wonthe Caldecott Medal.
(31:04):
I actually read that book aspart of my research for this
story.
Arpita (31:08):
research?
Aarati (31:09):
Yes.
It was very nice having picturesand like an illustrated guide
through his life.
Arpita (31:16):
Yeah.
Aarati (31:16):
Yeah.
Arpita (31:17):
I definitely didn't have a resource like that for any of
the stories that put together.
Aarati (31:21):
I know, right?
Like, usually we're siftingthrough...
Arpita (31:23):
They're usually way drier.
yeah,
Aarati (31:25):
yeah, these all scientific articles.
Arpita (31:27):
Some dry...
Aarati (31:28):
yeah, and I'm like, oh, this is great.
I'm reading a children's bookfor research purposes.
Yes.
Arpita (31:34):
Love it.
Aarati (31:34):
Yeah, yeah, but that's.
That's pretty much his story.
It's a short one, but hopefullya fun one to get us through the
holiday season.
Arpita (31:43):
Very cute.
I loved it.
That was a really good story.
Very cozy, like you said, and itdidn't make me think too hard,
which I appreciate,
Aarati (31:50):
Yes.
Arpita (31:51):
Especially today.
Aarati (31:52):
I don't, I don't think we should think, I think we
should all just turn our brainsoff for the rest of the year.
So that's it.
Arpita (31:59):
Strong agree.
agree.
I love it.
Awesome.
I guess before we wrap, a couplevery quick announcements.
We will be taking a break untilthe new year, so enjoy your
holiday.
We will also be taking some timeand then we will see you all in
January.
Um, and then Aarati our socialmedia queen, uh, usually on
(32:24):
Twitter and we are now migratingto Blue Sky.
Um, you can find us there in thesame handle.
And Social Media Queen Aaratihas also been posting on
YouTube, as we mentionedearlier.
So if you prefer to consume yourpodcast via YouTube, you can
also find us there
Aarati (32:44):
I'm a little bit behind right now on the YouTube, but
I'll catch up as fast as I can.
I'm like adding pictures of,like I mentioned, the people's
lives and the work that theydid.
And so sometimes I feel likeit's just nice to have a visual
of some of the things that we'reabout, if possible.
Um, yeah.
So I'm going through, I thinkI'm at episode 17 right now.
(33:06):
So I have a few more before I'mtotally caught up, but, um,
yeah, definitely go check out.
The YouTube channel if you wantto just have a visual while you
listen along.
Arpita (33:17):
And yeah, thank you for following along with us for a
whole year.
Aarati (33:22):
Um, Yes.
I think it is a year.
Arpita (33:24):
Yeah, I think we started doing this in December 2023.
So thanks for following alongwith us for a whole year.
We're hoping to continue to growso stick around.
And hope you all have a greatholiday.
Aarati (33:36):
Yes.
Happy holidays everyone.
Arpita (33:38):
Thanks for listening.
If you have a suggestion for astory we should cover or
thoughts you want to share aboutan episode, reach out to us at
smartteapodcast.
com.
You can follow us on Instagram,TikTok, and Bluesky at
smartteapodcast, and listen tous on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
YouTube, or wherever you getyour podcasts.
Leave us a rating or comment, itreally helps us grow.
(33:58):
New episodes are released everyother Wednesday.
See you next time!
Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Smart Tea Podcast,
where we talk about the lives ofscientists and innovators who
shape the world.
How are you, Aarati?
Aarati (00:21):
I'm doing pretty well, Arpita.
I feel like, you know, I'mlacking motivation to do
anything.
It's December, it's like betweenholidays, and so I'm just like,
okay, can we just cruise onthrough the end of this year?
I'm so ready for this year to beover.
Arpita (00:37):
I hear that.
I also feel the same way.
I'm unfortunately not receivingthat from the world that I'm
living in.
My, Work has been so busy.
'cause I think everyone istrying to spend their budgets
before the end of the year.
Aarati (00:55):
Mm hmm.
Arpita (00:55):
and there's so many really tight timelines and I am
just like every day feelinundated with tasks.
And I work east coast hours andso this morning I had a meeting
at like 6:30 in the morning
Aarati (01:09):
Oh my god.
Arpita (01:10):
uh, We joke about how I'm a morning person.
I am a morning person.
However, to be, like, awake andready to talk to a client at 6.
30 in the morning is a reallydifferent requirement than wake
up at 6.
30 in the morning to pet a catand make some coffee.
Like, those are really differentthings.
(01:30):
I have to, like, get dressed,wash my face, make some coffee,
like, slap my, like, slap myself
Aarati (01:37):
Yeah, like look awake and be presentable and have
interesting things to say.
Arpita (01:43):
Yes, and like, get on early enough that I can get my
ducks in a row so that when Ihave to actually talk about
things, I can sound smart andknow what I'm talking about.
Aarati (01:53):
It's just like, yeah, us in California, I feel like we
always get the brunt end ofthose morning meetings.
It's like, what time isconvenient for everyone?
Oh yeah, well, it's 12 o'clockfor you, but it's, 6 30 for me.
Yeah.
Arpita (02:06):
Oh, that's tough.
Aarati (02:07):
Yeah.
It's really tough.
Arpita (02:09):
It's, it's really tough.
Um, I am or except my excitingnews is that I'm starting a new
job on Monday and will hopefullyshare more very soon, but this
will require me to work pacifictime hours like everybody else.
Aarati (02:23):
Excellent.
Arpita (02:23):
maybe I will return to a normal person schedule where I
go to bed at a normal time andwake up at a normal time and end
work at a normal time.
Aarati (02:31):
Congratulations.
Yeah, congratulations.
I think it's been a, it's been atough year for you with all the
weddings and all the morningmeetings and everything, so I
think you deserve a kind ofrelaxing 2025.
Arpita (02:46):
I'm very much hoping that, that, I'm hoping that
after this week, things willsort of settle down a little bit
more as I, you know, quote,unquote, onboard.
I'm hoping that I'll just sitthere and click through a bunch
of trainings and not do a lot ofwork like that would be great.
to
Aarati (03:04):
All those cyber security type
Arpita (03:07):
exactly.
I'll do all the sexualharassment, all the cyber
security.
That's what I want to do.
I want to click through a bunchof trainings and not do anything
for the
Aarati (03:15):
That sounds wonderful.
Arpita (03:16):
That's what I'm manifesting.
Aarati (03:17):
Yes.
That sounds wonderful.
And I think, yeah, it makes alot of sense too.
Like why, why jump all the wayinto a job when you could just
start in January after all theholidays?
That makes a lot of sense.
Arpita (03:29):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So
Aarati (03:31):
great.
That sounds
Arpita (03:32):
where I'm at.
I'm ready for the rest of myyear to be cozy.
Aarati (03:35):
Yes.
Well, speaking of cozy, I have avery cozy story for you today.
Arpita (03:42):
I'm excited.
Aarati (03:43):
So originally we were planning not to do one in
December, but then I was like,this story is just so apt for
this time of year.
And it's short.
It's a shorter story.
So this is probably going to bea shorter episode.
But it's a good one and it'sjust like, you can have fun with
it.
There's no hard thinkinginvolved.
It's just a really, yeah, it's
Arpita (04:04):
We don't have to think about physics, or math, or
chemistry.
We don't have to think about howdifferent reactions occur.
Oh my gosh, what a treat!
Aarati (04:14):
just, yeah, it's just a really fun, nice, cute story
that I think you're gonna like.
It's like a little Christmasgift to you.
Arpita (04:22):
Thank you! Oh my gosh, I can't, I can't wait.
This is actually exactly what Ineeded.
You know, every once in a while,I think about, Emmy Noether's
story, and how I just wasstaring at you with blank eyes
as you said words.
Aarati (04:37):
Yeah.
Arpita (04:38):
And I was like,
Aarati (04:40):
Yes.
And I was trying so hard.
I'm like, I am trying to explainthis in a way that makes sense
but also won't get all thephysicists mad at me.
Arpita (04:52):
No, you did a great job.
It was not you.
It was, in fact, me.
And I was just like, huh?
Aarati (05:00):
That was a one.
Arpita (05:01):
I think about that every once in a while and I'm just
like, damn, that was a crazyepisode.
Aarati (05:04):
That a crazy episode, and if you'll notice, I have not
really forayed back into thatworld of mathematics and physics
since then.
Arpita (05:13):
You definitely made me realize that that is not
something I'm capable of doing.
I'm
Aarati (05:17):
crazy.
I'm not either, it was mybrother and, it was every, all
the other physicists in my lifewho helped me through that.
yeah, so this
Arpita (05:26):
Thank
Aarati (05:27):
this is
Arpita (05:28):
Not, Not, Emmy Noether.
Aarati (05:30):
No, is completely the opposite.
Today we're going to be talkingabout a man named Wilson
Bentley, who is also known asthe Snowflake Man.
Arpita (05:39):
I'm already obsessed.
Aarati (05:40):
yes.
So, very, very wintry Decemberstory.
So, lLet's get into his life.
Wilson was born on February 9th,1865 in Jericho, Vermont.
Many people in that area werefarmers, including his father,
Thomas Edwin Bentley, and hisolder brother, Charlie.
(06:02):
His mother, Fanny, had been aschool teacher before she got
married, and so she homeschooledWilson until he was 14.
Arpita (06:11):
My cat's shelter name was Fanny.
Aarati (06:13):
Really?
I'm not sure how I feel aboutthe name Fanny for a cat
Arpita (06:20):
it didn't, it didn't last long actually, that was,
she was promptly renamed.
Aarati (06:24):
Poppy is very cute.
Arpita (06:26):
I agree, thank you.
I think Poppy is very cute too,but she was, her shelter name
was Fanny, and then Pepper'sshelter name was Max, so they
would have been Max and Fanny,which is like maybe cute, but
Aarati (06:37):
That sounds like grandparents names Grandpa Max
and Grandma Fanny That
Arpita (06:43):
That's actually, that's
Aarati (06:44):
sound like that.
Yeah shelter name was Enzo,which is close, but
Arpita (06:51):
actually not bad, but yeah, why are these all
grandparent
Aarati (06:54):
Yeah, Yeah, very Italian grandpa name.
So, yeah.
Yeah, but, uh, Fanny, hismother, was a school teacher and
homeschooled Wilson until he was14.
And she was really the one whoinstilled this love of learning
in Wilson and encouraged hisfascination with nature.
So he would study trees,insects, and kept a journal
(07:17):
where he recorded the weather.
And his mother also had a set ofencyclopedias that he kind of
just bookwormed his way through.
So just loved to learn and shereally encouraged that.
So, even though he lived in acommunity of farmers who, as a
rule, hated the long, hardwinter months because nothing
(07:37):
would grow in the winter, uh,that was actually Little
Wilson's favorite season.
He lived for winter.
They lived in an area called theSnow Belt, and they would get up
to 120 inches of snow everyyear.
Arpita (07:53):
Wait, where was this?
Aarati (07:54):
In Jericho, Vermont,
Arpita (07:56):
Oh, okay, I missed that for some reason.
I heard the Jericho and then Ididn't process Vermont.
That makes a lot of sense
Aarati (08:03):
Yeah.
So, Wilson looked forward towinter every single year.
Kind of sounds like basicallyfrom the beginning he was born
with this innate fascination forsnow and snowflakes.
Later in his life, Wilson said,quote, It was my mother that
made it possible for me at 15 tobegin the work to which I have
devoted my life.
She had a small microscope,which she had used in her school
(08:25):
teaching.
When the other boys of my agewere playing with pop guns and
slingshots, I was absorbed instudying things under this
microscope.
Drops of water, tiny fragmentsof stone, a feather dropped from
a bird's wing, a delicatelyveined petal from some flower.
But always, from the beginning,it was snowflakes that
fascinated me most.
(08:46):
The farm folk up in this northcountry dread the winter, but I
was supremely happy from the dayof the first snowfall, which
usually came in November, untilthe last one, which sometimes
came as late as May.
Yeah.
Arpita (08:59):
It's really cute.
Do you watch Gilmore Girls?
Aarati (09:02):
I do not.
Arpita (09:04):
There's the main character Lorelei is obsessed
with snow and the first snowespecially and there's all every
season.
There's an episode where she haslike the first snow where she's
so excited about it.
I can't relate as a Californian,but that's what that reminds me
of.
It's like everyone around her islike snow is the worst.
It causes so many problems andshe's always so excited about
(09:24):
snow and I've been doing myYearly rewatch of Gilmore Girls.
That's what it made me think of.
Can't relate but it is cute
Aarati (09:31):
No, I can't relate either.
I I'm a summer person for sureand I was feeling cold while
writing this story.
It was like, I know it's all inmy head, but I was just like, Oh
my God, it's like snowflakes.
Yeah, but I'm so lucky to livein California in December when
it's like 75 degrees out andit's so nice, like, yeah, so I
(09:53):
can't, I can't relate, but I'mglad he lived in a place where
he could study snowflakes to hisheart's content.
So Wilson spent a couple ofyears looking at snowflake
crystals under this microscopeand he became fascinated with
the beauty of them.
He would make sketches trying tocapture what he saw because he
really wanted to be able toshare what he was seeing with
(10:14):
others, but he wasn't very happywith his drawings because he
couldn't capture all of theintricate details before the
snowflake melted.
Mm hmm.
Yeah.
He said, quote, I found thatsnowflakes were masterpieces of
design.
No design was ever repeated.
When a snowflake melted, justthat much beauty was gone
(10:34):
without leaving any recordbehind, end quote.
Arpita (10:38):
Yeah, I do agree that snowflakes are very pretty like
when the like crystal structuresfall on your jacket If you're
wearing with black gloves orlike a black jacket, especially
with like high contrast.
They do look very pretty Verypretty, unfortunately.
I know.
Aarati (10:55):
And yeah, we were just talking about this earlier, but
I've started putting all theepisodes of our podcast up on
YouTube and like, I havepictures where I can find them
about people's childhood or whatthey were studying, and I'm so
excited to put this one onYouTube because there are going
to be so many snowflakepictures.
of like all the snowflakes thathe took.
So I'm really excited once thisone gets up there.
(11:18):
So yeah, cause they'rebeautiful.
Um, so after a few years oftrying to draw the snowflakes,
Wilson read about a new type ofcamera that could take pictures
through a microscope.
So he asked his parents if theywould buy the camera for him.
And although his mother wastotally excited for him and was
on board.
His father was the one theyneeded to convince.
(11:40):
And his father was like, we'refarmers.
Like, why are you screwingaround with snowflakes and
microscopes?
That's not practical at all.
But finally his mother andWilson together both made
Wilson's father cave and theybought a bellows camera, which
is a very large type of camera.
So in keeping with the farmingtheme, the camera was said to be
(12:02):
larger than a baby calf and costas much as Wilson's father's
herd of cows.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Arpita (12:09):
Wait, what?
I mean, I guess this is the erathat we're talking about where,
you know, things are obviouslynot as sleek as we think about
of them now, but a baby calf?
Aarati (12:20):
Yeah, it, like, I've seen pictures of it or, like,
videos of it, like, you can'thold it.
It needs to be sitting on atable.
And it kind of looks like agiant accordion, um, like, the
bellows of an accordion, hencethe name Bellows Camera.
Yeah, so it's, it's gigantic.
Yeah.
So the lens of the camera is atthe end of the accordion like
(12:42):
structure, and the lens can bemoved backwards and forwards so
you can focus on whatever yoursubject is.
Arpita (12:47):
Mmm.
Okay.
Aarati (12:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, he got this camera, butthat's barely, like, step one of
this process he has to gothrough to take a picture of a
snowflake.
So, first of all, photography'sa very new field at this time,
and most people were takingportraits of people.
So, Like, although the Bellowscamera had the ability to take
(13:13):
pictures through a microscope,no one was really using it to do
that.
Arpita (13:16):
Got it.
Okay.
Aarati (13:17):
So, Wilson had to find a way to attach the microscope to
the camera so he could takepictures.
Then he had to actually learnhow to use the camera, and I'm,
like, remember he lives in thisfarming community, like, there's
no one to teach him that.
Arpita (13:33):
it's not as simple as, you know, like, clicking a
button.
He has to figure out the filmand how to process it.
Like, all
Aarati (13:39):
Yeah, yeah, because he has to, like, figure out how to
develop it and, like, all the,yeah, everything.
And it's not like he had Googleat that time where he could
just, like, watch a tutorialvideo or something, you know?
Arpita (13:51):
Yeah.
He had to, he was readingencyclopedias.
Also, I clearly remember beingin elementary school, middle
school, before Google was asubiquitous as it is now and if
you wanted to know something,you had to go to a book and look
it up.
Like, can you, can you imaginedoing that now?
Like, I cannot.
Like, I realized this was a partof my childhood and my life, and
(14:14):
I, and yet I cannot fathom notGoogling every passing thought
that I have in my brain.
Aarati (14:20):
Yeah.
Arpita (14:22):
Like, please never look at my Google search history, I
feel like this is such aubiquitous thing
Aarati (14:25):
It's so random.
Arpita (14:27):
no, I don't want, I don't want people to know what
my random thought processes are.
Aarati (14:31):
Yeah, no.
Like, I remember in elementaryschool when we did reports, we
learned that the way to, findinformation about whatever topic
you were researching was go tolibrary, find that section in
the library that talks
Arpita (14:44):
the Dewey Decimal System, the card catalogs, yeah.
Aarati (14:48):
It's just like, oh my gosh, and then it was such a
process.
Yeah.
And then all of a sudden it'slike, Oh, you could just Google
it.
Arpita (14:55):
It's crazy.
So he's learning how to processfilm.
Aarati (14:59):
He's, he's learning how to use the camera, process film.
Next, he had to actually collectthe snowflakes.
So, the way he did this was hewould walk around outside with a
tray that had a piece of blackvelvet on it to catch the
snowflakes on.
And when a bunch of snowflakeswould clump together, he would
gently separate them using aturkey or chicken feather, which
(15:19):
was very easy to come by on thefarm.
And then he would place thistray of separated snowflakes
under the microscope and try totake a picture, but if the
camera wasn't focused, the wheelto focus it was up near the
front of the camera, and so hecouldn't look into the camera
and focus it at the same time.
(15:39):
Yeah.
So he had to rig up like thislittle string and pulley system
So he could focus the camerawhile he was looking through it.
Arpita (15:48):
Oh my god.
Also, like, isn't there a,there's probably a light bulb,
no?
To create some sort of light inorder to take the picture?
Isn't that emitting heat?
Like, how are these individualsnowflakes not melting?
Aarati (16:01):
So yeah, that was my next sentence actually like
after all of this.
There's the very realpossibility that the snowflake
would melt Yeah, especiallybecause like again since
photography is so new exposuretimes could be up to 90 seconds
long to get a good photograph
Arpita (16:18):
90 seconds?
Oh my gosh.
Aarati (16:20):
Yeah.
Arpita (16:20):
That's so crazy.
Aarati (16:21):
So your thing has to like stay still and perfect and
pristine for 90 seconds.
So to help with that, all of hiswork had to be done outside or
in a really cold shed in themiddle of winter.
Arpita (16:34):
Sounds fun.
Aarati (16:35):
Yeah.
He loved it though.
The first winter after he gothis camera, he didn't get any
good pictures of snowflakes atall.
Uh, they all just looked likeshadows or kept melting before
he could properly focus thecamera and capture their image.
But he kept on trying and makingtweaks to his setup, and
finally, in a huge snowstorm onJanuary 15th, 1885, he managed
(16:58):
to capture the firstphotomicrographs of his
snowflakes.
He said, quote, the day that Ideveloped the first negative
made by this method and found itgood.
I felt almost like falling on myknees beside that apparatus and
worshiping it.
It was the greatest moment of mylife.
Arpita (17:15):
Oh,
Aarati (17:17):
Yeah.
Arpita (17:17):
cute.
Aarati (17:18):
Yeah.
can just imagine him being likeso happy that after years he's
finally got his picture of asnowflake.
Hi everyone, Aarati here.
I hope you're enjoying thepodcast.
If so, and you wish someonewould tell your science story, I
(17:38):
founded a science communicationscompany called Sykom, that's S Y
K O M, that can help.
Sykom blends creativity withscientific accuracy to create
all types of sciencecommunications content,
including explainer videos,slide presentations, science
writing, and more.
We work with academicresearchers, tech companies, non
(18:00):
profits, or really any scientistto help simplify your science.
Check us out at sykommer.
com.
That's S Y K O M M E R dot com.
Okay, back to the story.
Over the next 13 years, Wilsonkept taking pictures of
snowflakes and perfecting hismethod for developing the
(18:20):
photos.
But interestingly, he didn't trytoo hard to share them with the
rest of the world, because mostof his, like, immediate
community that he was in, thefarmers around him weren't
really as fascinated bysnowflakes as he was.
And he totally understood this.
Yeah.
He totally got it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
(18:40):
He was just like, like heunderstood that most people just
saw his pictures as pretty andthen that's like about it.
Um, there's nothing to get superobsessed about.
So, he would share his pictureswith friends and family, and he
even sold a few pictures forjust a few pennies or turned
them into birthday cards.
And some nights he would alsohang a bed sheet over a
(19:03):
clothesline and project imagesof the snowflakes so that people
could just come and see them.
Like a little nightlyneighborhood slideshow kind of
thing.
Arpita (19:13):
That's cute.
Aarati (19:14):
Yeah.
but although his neighbors andthe farmers in his community
weren't too interested, itstarted to attract the attention
of artists who became inspiredby the snowflake's crystal
structures because, as wementioned, they are beautiful.
But it also attracted theattention of university
professors, including one namedGeorge Henry Perkins, who is a
professor of natural history atthe University of Vermont.
(19:37):
Professor Perkins convincedWilson that even though he
didn't have formal scientifictraining or anything, he really
did have something special andhe should share his work with
the outside world.
So, Wilson collaborated withProfessor Perkins to publish his
first article in 1898 inAppleton's popular scientific
(19:57):
monthly called, A Study of SnowCrystals., In this paper, Wilson
published some of the pictureshe had taken and laid out his
method for taking the pictures.
And he also talked about some ofthe things that he had learned
about snow crystal formation.
For example, he had seen thateach snowflake begins as a tiny
speck of water that forms arounda dust particle in the sky.
(20:22):
And then as it falls, more waterattaches to it and freezes
outward in branches.
Arpita (20:29):
I don't think I knew that.
I that makes a ton of sense.
It needs something to attach to,but like even any kind of
crystal needs something toattach to.
I just didn't really
Aarati (20:40):
I think rain also forms the same way, like raindrops,
which we'll get but raindrops doform kind of around the same,
like they need a little dustparticle or something to, so
that the water can collectaround it.
Arpita (20:55):
Makes sense.
I've never thought about it.
Yeah,
Aarati (20:58):
Yeah.
And because of the fact thatwater always freezes in a
hexagonal lattice structure,snowflakes are always hexagonal.
Arpita (21:07):
Yeah.
And then crystals probably likebranch off of that
Aarati (21:10):
Yeah.
Which is also, like, I neverreally thought about that
before, but I was like, that'strue, like, snowflakes are, do
always have like six sides, orsymmetry around six sides.
So many different things affecthow the branches of the
snowflake grow, including howmuch wind and moisture is in the
(21:31):
air, and the temperature changesin the different layers of the
atmosphere as the snowflakefalls.
Crystals formed in warmerweather temperatures were larger
and had more branches than theones formed when it was colder.
Arpita (21:45):
Interesting.
Aarati (21:46):
Yeah, so I've seen like pictures of this, the ones that
form when it's colder, theyalmost look like hexagonal kind
of dinner plates, you know,there's not that many
Arpita (21:55):
Uh huh.
Aarati (21:56):
Branches coming off, um, but the ones that are formed in
the warmer kind of temperatures,they look more almost like a
fractal, like a lot of differentsmall little, you know, branches
going this way.
They're more likequintessentially what we think
of as a snowflake.
Arpita (22:12):
Yeah.
Like your third grade project,cut up snowflake.
Aarati (22:16):
Exactly.
And he even thought that if wecontinue to study and understand
all of the different factorsthat go into snowflake
formation, he really believedthat one day we might be able to
just look at a picture of asnowflake, like any snowflake,
and be able to tell exactly whattype of storm it came from, how
high up in the atmosphere it wasformed, which way the wind was
(22:37):
blowing, how cold it was, andwhether it was a blizzard or
just a gentle flurry, all fromjust the photograph of one
snowflake.
He also made the assertion thatevery snowflake he had seen up
to that point seemed to beunique.
He had never seen two snowflakesthat had exactly the same shape,
and by this time he had takenliterally hundreds of pictures.
Arpita (22:59):
That's definitely something.
Aarati (23:00):
Yeah.
that's why I kind of gotinterested in this, because I've
heard that saying, like, no twoare alike.
and I was like, who came up withthat?
Like who like who figured thatout?
You know?
And that's how I learned aboutWilson Bentley in the first
place.
So this paper pushed Wilson intothe public eye.
(23:21):
He started publishing more inarticles in National Geographic,
Nature, Popular Science andScientific American.
Academic researchers startedrequesting copies of his
snowflake pictures to study.
Jewelers and engravers alsostarted asking of his photos so
they could use them asinspiration.
Arpita (23:40):
That makes a ton of sense.
Aarati (23:41):
Yeah.
In 1904, he donated a collectionof 500 snowflake photos to the
Smithsonian, and that was hugefor him to know that the
Smithsonian would like, betaking care of them, and making
portion of his life's work wouldbe protected.
So, he happy happy....
Arpita (24:01):
That's huge.
Aarati (24:01):
about that.
Yeah.
He also expanded his work totake photographs of other things
in nature, but especiallyanything having to do with snow,
rain, or dew.
So.
Very moisture related,
Arpita (24:14):
Like, weather.
Aarati (24:15):
Weather.
Yes.
He was the first American tomeasure the size of raindrops,
and the way he did this wasactually interesting.
He sifted some flour from thekitchen, just like all purpose
wheat flour, into a pan, andthen he held the pan in the rain
for a few seconds.
And then when a raindrop fellinto the flour, it would soak up
(24:38):
the flour and form a tiny littledough ball that Wilson would dry
and then measure.
Arpita (24:44):
Wow.
That is quite interesting.
That is genius.
And I guess you would need it tobe raining very gently for that,
right?
So that you don't end up withmore than one raindrop in one
spot.
Aarati (24:56):
Or like, you just have to be really fast about it.
If it's like a like heavydownpour like, yeah.
Arpita (25:02):
yeah.
Aarati (25:03):
one second.
Yeah.
So from 1898 to 1904, hemeasured 344 raindrops across 70
different storms and reportedhis finding in the Monthly
Weather Review.
Arpita (25:17):
So you just have all these little tiny balls of dough
that he's just like,
Aarati (25:21):
Yeah, this is, this this raindrop and this raindrop.
He found that the largestraindrops were about six
millimeters and that differenttypes of storms had different
types of raindrops.
So very much snowflakes.
Arpita (25:35):
It's It's starting to give spectrum, but yeah, let's
going.
Aarati (25:39):
Yeah, a little bit.
His, like, one minded obsessionthis since he was like, ten.
Yeah.
Arpita (25:48):
I thought that earlier, but now, now I feel it more
definitively.
Aarati (25:51):
Yes.
And speaking of which, like,he's doing all of this while
he's primarily being a farmer
Arpita (25:57):
Right, that's what I'm not full time job.
No, this like a fun side projectfor him.
Aarati (26:03):
Yeah.
Arpita (26:04):
which another level of dimension to this.
It's like, yeah, I did a lot ofweird shit in the lab too, but
that was my primary occupation.
That was what I was activelybeing paid to do and this is
real different.
Aarati (26:16):
Yes, this is really, like, he's spending every spare
moment he has thinking aboutthis and doing this.
When his father passed away,Wilson and his brother Charlie
took over the farm, and theyeven expanded it, so they're
doing really well.
Wilson never married, butCharlie did, and Charlie had
eight children.
So, Yeah, so Charlie's familytook over half of the farmhouse,
(26:42):
and Wilson had a great time withall his nieces and nephews, and
he kind of, I feel like, turnedinto his mother in a way, in
that he really encouraged hisnieces and nephews to go explore
nature, and they would bring himback things to photograph, from
all their,
Arpita (26:57):
That's very cute.
That feels like something alittle kid would love.
Aarati (27:01):
Yeah, I could just imagine a little kid going like,
Uncle Wilson, I found a leaf.
Can you take a picture underyour microscope?
And he'd be excited too.
He'd be like, yes, let's do it.
So by 1920, Wilson had writtennumerous articles, both in
scientific journals, but alsofor the general public.
He really wanted others to seethe beauty of snowflakes.
(27:22):
He became known across thenation as the Snowflake Man or
Snowflake Bentley.
He continued to take pictures ofsnowflakes for the rest of his
life, as well as basicallybecome an amateur meteorologist.
In 1924, the AmericanMeteorological Society gave the
first research grant they everawarded to Wilson for 40 years
(27:45):
of extremely patient work.
Arpita (27:47):
Wow.
Aarati (27:47):
Yeah, it was less than 4, 000, but Wilson was just
thrilled to be recognized by thescientific community in general.
Arpita (27:55):
I mean, just like an amateur scientist, but the fact
that he's publishing papers atall or academic or academic
recognition
Aarati (28:03):
yes.
Arpita (28:04):
Is huge.
I feel like definitely in astrong contrast to a lot of the
other people we've talked aboutwho are doing this as their
profession, as we've mentioned,and he's just doing this for
fun.
Aarati (28:15):
Mm hmm, yeah.
And I think that's, he totallyrecognized that and he was just
like, I'm so honored that thescientific community actually
recognizes my hobby as somethingworth, you know, worth being
studied and worth beingrecognized by the scientific
community.
So in 1931, a physicist whoworked at the U.
(28:37):
S.
Weather Bureau, Dr.
William J.
Humphreys, had heard aboutWilson's photomicrographs and
reached out to him aboutpublishing a collection of his
best snowflakes.
While Dr.
Humphreys gathered funding forthe project, Wilson sorted
through his collection ofsnowflake photos.
At this point, he had taken over5, 300 snowflake photos.
Arpita (29:01):
Wow.
Aarati (29:01):
Just, a ridiculous number.
Arpita (29:04):
That's so many.
Aarati (29:06):
Together, they found a publisher, and in November that
year, a book called SnowCrystals was published, which
contained almost 2, 500 images,including 100 photos of frost
and dew.
And that book is still in printtoday, so you can go buy a copy.
I feel like that'd be a reallynice, like, coffee table book.
Arpita (29:28):
Yeah, totally.
Vintage is very cool right now.
Aarati (29:31):
Right?
All these, like, vintagephotomicrographs.
That'd be amazing.
So this was a huge achievement,and I'm sure Wilson was just
overjoyed to have his workimmortalized this way.
But unfortunately, he didn't getmuch time to bask in his
accomplishment because just aweek or so later he was walking
through a snowstorm aroundJericho and he contracted
(29:54):
pneumonia.
By the time a doctor was called,it was too late and on December
23rd, 1931, Wilson died at theage of 66.
Arpita (30:04):
Yeah, it's crazy how, I don't know, lethal pneumonia was
until so recently.
We don't think of it, I mean itstill sucks, but you don't think
about it as something that killsyou, usually.
Aarati (30:16):
Yeah, usually.
I did also find it kind ofironic that, you
Arpita (30:21):
didn't want to say that, but
Aarati (30:22):
yeah.
it is.
Arpita (30:23):
I didn't want to say that.
Aarati (30:24):
Yeah.
But it is.
As for his legacy, he wasn't asillustrious as some of the other
scientists we've talked about,but he still got a fair amount
of recognition.
At Vermont State University, theBentley Science Hall is named
for him.
Arpita (30:39):
Mm hmm.
Aarati (30:40):
In addition to the book he published, a number of
museums have displayed his photomicrographs, including the
Fairbanks Museum and Planetariumin Vermont and the Field Museum
in Chicago.
And in 1999, a children's bookabout Wilson's life called
Snowflake Bentley, written byJacqueline Briggs Martin and
illustrated by Mary Azarian, wonthe Caldecott Medal.
(31:04):
I actually read that book aspart of my research for this
story.
Arpita (31:08):
research?
Aarati (31:09):
Yes.
It was very nice having picturesand like an illustrated guide
through his life.
Arpita (31:16):
Yeah.
Aarati (31:16):
Yeah.
Arpita (31:17):
I definitely didn't have a resource like that for any of
the stories that put together.
Aarati (31:21):
I know, right?
Like, usually we're siftingthrough...
Arpita (31:23):
They're usually way drier.
yeah,
Aarati (31:25):
yeah, these all scientific articles.
Arpita (31:27):
Some dry...
Aarati (31:28):
yeah, and I'm like, oh, this is great.
I'm reading a children's bookfor research purposes.
Yes.
Arpita (31:34):
Love it.
Aarati (31:34):
Yeah, yeah, but that's.
That's pretty much his story.
It's a short one, but hopefullya fun one to get us through the
holiday season.
Arpita (31:43):
Very cute.
I loved it.
That was a really good story.
Very cozy, like you said, and itdidn't make me think too hard,
which I appreciate,
Aarati (31:50):
Yes.
Arpita (31:51):
Especially today.
Aarati (31:52):
I don't, I don't think we should think, I think we
should all just turn our brainsoff for the rest of the year.
So that's it.
Arpita (31:59):
Strong agree.
agree.
I love it.
Awesome.
I guess before we wrap, a couplevery quick announcements.
We will be taking a break untilthe new year, so enjoy your
holiday.
We will also be taking some timeand then we will see you all in
January.
Um, and then Aarati our socialmedia queen, uh, usually on
(32:24):
Twitter and we are now migratingto Blue Sky.
Um, you can find us there in thesame handle.
And Social Media Queen Aaratihas also been posting on
YouTube, as we mentionedearlier.
So if you prefer to consume yourpodcast via YouTube, you can
also find us there
Aarati (32:44):
I'm a little bit behind right now on the YouTube, but
I'll catch up as fast as I can.
I'm like adding pictures of,like I mentioned, the people's
lives and the work that theydid.
And so sometimes I feel likeit's just nice to have a visual
of some of the things that we'reabout, if possible.
Um, yeah.
So I'm going through, I thinkI'm at episode 17 right now.
(33:06):
So I have a few more before I'mtotally caught up, but, um,
yeah, definitely go check out.
The YouTube channel if you wantto just have a visual while you
listen along.
Arpita (33:17):
And yeah, thank you for following along with us for a
whole year.
Aarati (33:22):
Um, Yes.
I think it is a year.
Arpita (33:24):
Yeah, I think we started doing this in December 2023.
So thanks for following alongwith us for a whole year.
We're hoping to continue to growso stick around.
And hope you all have a greatholiday.
Aarati (33:36):
Yes.
Happy holidays everyone.
Arpita (33:38):
Thanks for listening.
If you have a suggestion for astory we should cover or
thoughts you want to share aboutan episode, reach out to us at
smartteapodcast.
com.
You can follow us on Instagram,TikTok, and Bluesky at
smartteapodcast, and listen tous on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
YouTube, or wherever you getyour podcasts.
Leave us a rating or comment, itreally helps us grow.
(33:58):
New episodes are released everyother Wednesday.
See you next time!
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