1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: a show that charts the highs and lows of history 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: one day at a time. I'm Gay Blusier, and today 5 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: we're trying to beat the summer heat by talking about 6 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,479 Speaker 1: the coldest day on record in Antarctica or anywhere else. 7 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: The day was July one. At Russia's voss Stock Research 8 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 1: station in Antarctica, scientists reported the coldest temperature ever recorded 9 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,520 Speaker 1: on Earth. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, 10 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: July is a summer month, but in the southern half 11 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: of the world it falls in the middle of winter 12 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: and an inland Antarctica that means some of the most 13 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: bone chilling weather imaginable. But even by its own sub 14 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: zero standards, that July day in three was an exceptionally 15 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 1: cold one. When the researchers at Vostok braved the elements 16 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: that morning, their thermometers read minus one hundred and twenty 17 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: eight point six degrees fahrenheit or minus eighty nine point 18 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: two degrees celsius. Not only was that fifty four degrees 19 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: colder than the winter average for the region, it was 20 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: also an all time low for the entire planet. It 21 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: beat the previous world record low, which was also taken 22 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: at Vostok, by more than two full degrees. For reference, 23 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: the coldest temperature ever recorded in the US is negative 24 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: eighty degrees fahrenheit or negative sixty two degrees celsius, and 25 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: that was taken in Alaska near the Arctic Circle. Vostok 26 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: Station was founded by the Soviet Union in nineteen fifty seven. 27 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: It's located high top and icy dome in the middle 28 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: of the East Antarctic ice sheet that places the station 29 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: extremely far south, only about eight hundred miles from the 30 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: geographic South Pole. The Soviets chose that location largely for 31 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: the purposes of deep core ice drilling, as well as 32 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 1: for studies of Earth's magnetosphere. Despite the hardships of living 33 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: in such a remote area, the station was and still 34 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: is operated all year round. One of the many challenges 35 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: of manning the station in the dead of winter is 36 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: that the sun ceases to rise from mid May to 37 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: early August. That stretch of continuous night is tough on 38 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: station personnel not only because of the increased sense of isolation, 39 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: but because it also results in some of the coldest 40 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: temperatures of the year, and that's especially true at higher elevations, 41 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: such as Vostok's eleven thousand foot high perch near the 42 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: top of an ice dome. That said, a lack of 43 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: sunlight and a high elevation aren't enough to explain the 44 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: extreme cold reported at Vostok in July of three. Otherwise, 45 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: equally low temperatures would occur there every year, which doesn't 46 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:18,119 Speaker 1: seem to be the case. The special conditions that created 47 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: such a steep drop in temperature were later determined to 48 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: be clear, cloudless skies and unseasonably calm air. Typically, warmer 49 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: air flows across the Southern Ocean and onto the Antarctic 50 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: plateau where Vostok sits, but during the week of July one, 51 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: no such winds were blowing that year. As a result, 52 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: the cold air circulating Vostok had no warmer air to 53 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: mix with, and that created the perfect conditions for a 54 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: temperature drop. The researchers at Vostok were well aware of 55 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: this cooling, and on July twenty one three they decided 56 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: to duck outside the station and take a reading for themselves. 57 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: As simple a task as that may sound, a good 58 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: deal of care still had to be taken. For example, 59 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: the Russian scientists had to don special masks that featured 60 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: a kind of snorkel device that could be run through 61 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: the sleeve of a coat. This was because humans canned inhale, 62 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,359 Speaker 1: cold Antarctic air for more than a few breaths. Any 63 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: longer and our lungs start to hemorrhage. The masks the 64 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: scientists wore helped prevent that by warming up the incoming 65 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: air before they breathed it in. The temperature they registered 66 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: that day is the lowest recorded in the world since 67 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: humans started keeping track back in nineteen twelve. Granted, that's 68 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: less than a hundred years of data to pull from 69 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: at the time of recording, so it's pretty likely that 70 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:50,160 Speaker 1: a colder temperature occurred somewhere on Earth before the Technically, 71 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: there's even evidence of a lower temperature after the one 72 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: at Vostok was measured. For instance, NASA satellites have used 73 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: remote sensing to measure lower surface temperatures at least a 74 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: few times already. As of two the lowest temperature reading 75 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: was taken in on the same plateau as Vostok. It 76 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: was minus one hundred and forty four degrees fahrenheit more 77 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: than fifteen degrees lower than the record. But before you 78 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 1: complain that I've dedicated an entire episode to a woefully 79 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: outdated record, consider this. Temperatures measured by remote sensing aren't 80 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: considered official records. The International Committee that verifies weather extremes 81 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: only considers measurements made using standard methods and equipment, and 82 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: that doesn't include satellites. That means the Vostok record still 83 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: stands as the official coldest temperature on Earth. That technicality 84 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: is fine by me, because in the end, who deserves 85 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: the record more some snooty satellite all snug and safe 86 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: up in orbit, or a boots on the ground scientist 87 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: with a snork all up their sleep. I think we 88 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: all know the answer. I'm Gay Bluesier, and hopefully you 89 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: now know a little more about weather history today than 90 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you have a second and you're 91 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: so inclined, consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram 92 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:23,160 Speaker 1: at T D i HC. Show. You can also rate 93 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,160 Speaker 1: and review the show on Apple Podcasts, or you can 94 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: send any feedback you might have directly to me by 95 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: writing to This Day at I heart media dot com. 96 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 97 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 98 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: for another day in history class.