How People Actually Survived the Brutal Winters of the Past

Bright Side

A closer look at how humans endure extreme cold. From medieval families battling freezing winters with primitive heating and food preservation, to a modern-day survivor trapped in his car for two months, both stories reveal how resilience, resourcefulness, and a bit of luck can mean the difference between life and death in harsh winter conditions.  Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00It's a snowy winter night. You're inside your cozy house and watching a historical movie that takes place during the Middle Ages.

00:08As you take another sip of your hot chocolate, you can't help but wonder how the people survived the winter back then.

00:15At that exact moment, your TV screen suddenly turns into a portal and pulls you inside!

00:20You open your eyes to find yourself within the world of the movie you were just watching.

00:30A man approaches you and says,

00:33Welcome to my medieval village. I am Bartholomew, and I called you here to give you an answer to your question.

00:42First of all, let me tell you that conditions became extremely harsh when the cold arrives,

00:48and not just for the northern countries.

00:51Mainland Europe takes its share of the brutal weather too,

00:55so winter is kind of a slowing down time for all of us.

01:00You see, we usually associate winter with old age and poverty

01:05because of all the changes that occur in nature during this time.

01:09For example, we can't really grow any crops when snow covers all our land,

01:15and by the early 14th century, things started to get even worse

01:20because we started seeing the first signs of what you may know as the Little Ice Age.

01:27Cold temperatures peaked.

01:29Weather anomalies and extreme events such as sudden floods or hailstorms started to occur,

01:35which added to our agony.

01:38Take the winter of 1359, for instance.

01:41Across central Italy, the snow rose to extraordinary heights.

01:47People had to throw the snow into the streets to lighten up their roofs,

01:51and because of that, some towns were completely blocked.

01:55Their inhabitants were trapped in their homes for several days.

02:00Another example of this is the winter of 1389.

02:04The snowfall was so great in the Luzerne region of France

02:08that many people's farmsteads and houses were destroyed.

02:13Bartholomew notices that you start shivering.

02:17Ah, you were not prepared for this journey back to medieval winters, I see.

02:22Let's walk to my home and find you some warmer clothes.

02:27As you can see, I'm already wearing a cloak, a scarf, and mittens,

02:32which are all made out of wool.

02:35I also have boots that are made out of leather from a deer.

02:39Still, all these are not really enough to stay warm when one is outside.

02:45That's why we usually layer other clothes underneath them all to keep the warmth trapped.

02:50By the way, the wool can get heavy and itchy sometimes,

02:55so beneath our woolen outer clothing, we wear linen undergarments too.

03:00The linen acts as a barrier between the wool and the skin,

03:04therefore making things a bit more comfortable for us.

03:08It is also easier to wash linen clothes, and they dry way faster than woolen ones.

03:15The wealthier ones can line their winter clothing with fur,

03:18and us regular peasants sometimes use rabbit and lamb for the same purpose.

03:25It's not as glamorous, but still effective.

03:28We can also hunt some wild animals and birds with the permission of the Lord.

03:34Yet again, the sumptuary laws, in other words, consumption laws,

03:38are very clear on who can wear what according to their social standing.

03:44Take the 1363 English Sumptuary Law, for example.

03:47It states that the wives and daughters of craftspeople and land-owning peasants

03:53were only allowed to wear lamb, rabbit, cat, and fox furs.

03:59You notice a weird-looking hinged metal sphere in Bartholomew's pocket,

04:04and ask him what that is.

04:06Ah, it's a hand-warmer, he says, as he gives it to you.

04:12If we are going to be outdoors for a long time, we bring one of these with us.

04:18Otherwise, one's fingers can get numb, you know.

04:21Now take a closer look at it, and you'll see that it has tiny holes on its surface.

04:27This helps the heat to escape, so that we can warm our hands without burning them,

04:32once we fill it with hot coal.

04:36That's kinda heavy, you say.

04:39And think about how lucky you are to be living in modern times.

04:43With just one click from the comfort of your home,

04:45you can order Hot Hands Instant Hand Warmers from Amazon.

04:49And no coal is necessary.

04:51You can even put those inside your shoes to warm your toes,

04:55since they're pocket-sized, unlike this metal orb.

04:59You and Bartholomew arrive at his house.

05:03You realize that he does not take any of his outer garments off.

05:07We keep everything on during the coldest months,

05:10because the indoor heating isn't always great, he says.

05:14As you can see, the fireplace stands here at the center of our homes,

05:19and right above it, there is a ventilation hole, rather than a chimney,

05:24which causes us to lose so much of the heat.

05:27Yet again, we don't usually sleep in our outside clothes.

05:31Instead, we put bricks and stones in the fire,

05:35wrap them in fabric, and take them to our beds to warm the sheets.

05:39Wearing our nightcaps all night long also helps.

05:43And when we're not sleeping,

05:44we usually try to stay close to the fireplace as much as possible.

05:50You sure appreciate that hot water bottle of yours more now, right?

05:55And you didn't even need to cover it with a cloth,

05:58like these folks have to do.

05:59It already came with a knit cover for your convenience.

06:03And the best part is, it's much softer than a brick,

06:06and can be heated in the microwave within seconds.

06:08How rude of me.

06:11I forgot to offer you something to eat, Bartholomew says.

06:15I know I already told you winter means stillness for us,

06:19but we still need to put in some work to not starve.

06:23There's a lot of preparation to be done in advance to survive these medieval winters.

06:28First of all, we start gathering wood for the fire from as early as spring and through the summer.

06:37Then there's the food we harvest in the fall.

06:40We have to preserve that in a special way,

06:43so all will last over the winter months.

06:46The same thing goes for meat, too.

06:48The methods we use include pickling, drying, and brining.

06:53In terms of grains, cereals, and pulses,

06:56we dry them out and store them in ceramic or clay pots.

07:01We later use them for making potted stews and soups,

07:04in addition to vegetables.

07:06Basically, everything we can find goes into the pot.

07:10The most common foods we eat in our everyday lives

07:13include onions, peas, beans, lentils, and herbs such as parsley.

07:20We still have to include protein in our diet, though,

07:23and we do that by eating cheese, eggs, fatty bacon, or salted pork.

07:29In terms of fresh fruits and berries,

07:32they are hard to find during wintertime,

07:35so we preserve the ones we already picked by the air-drying method, too.

07:40You think to yourself,

07:42if only these people had a food dryer at home,

07:45their lives would be so much easier.

07:48They could use it for all the foods Bartholomew just mentioned,

07:51from fruits to meat.

07:53Then again, there's no electricity here.

07:57I wouldn't want you to think winters are so grim,

08:00long, and boring,

08:02after everything I've told you.

08:04We still do plenty of activities to keep ourselves entertained,

08:08Bartholomew says.

08:09But what?

08:10It's not like they can binge-watch their favorite TV shows.

08:15We play in the snow a lot,

08:17adults and children all together.

08:20You can see plenty of peasants ice skating on the frozen lakes.

08:24To be able to do that,

08:26we used to use pieces of polished wood,

08:28or horse shin bones.

08:30But now,

08:31we have iron skates, too.

08:33I need to mention, though,

08:35here in Western Europe,

08:37ice skating is not as common as in Scandinavia.

08:40That is because they are more accustomed to snow and cold temperatures.

08:45Sledding is another fun activity we do.

08:48Then there are indoor games,

08:50such as chess,

08:51backgammon,

08:52and other dice games.

08:54Wool spinning and telling stories are also common ways to spend some nice time with our family.

09:00Not surprisingly,

09:01nobles have more opportunities in the entertainment area, too.

09:05For example,

09:07boar hunting is very common amongst the elite.

09:09At that moment,

09:13a portal appears at the door.

09:15Bartholomew says,

09:17Guess it's time for you to head back, traveler.

09:19Fare thee well.

09:21There are very snowy winters in Sweden, you know.

09:25Snow covers all roads and slows down the traffic.

09:28Some cars may pull over to the side of the road

09:31and get out only with the help of a tractor.

09:33This is a common thing.

09:35But one day,

09:36during a snowfall,

09:37something astonishing happened.

09:39On December 19, 2011,

09:42a man named Peter Skjellberg

09:44found himself in a snow trap

09:45after he drove off the main road in the north of Sweden.

09:49Then snowmobilers accidentally found him,

09:52pulled him out of there,

09:53and took him to the hospital.

09:55It may seem like something common,

09:56but here's the kicker.

09:58It took two months to find him.

10:00And outside of that time,

10:01the temperature dropped to minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit.

10:05That man survived after spending 60 days

10:08without water, food, and heat sources

10:10among icy winds and endless snow.

10:13The people who found him said

10:15the car was buried deep in snow at three feet.

10:18And Peter Skjellberg was sitting shaking

10:21inside a sleeping bag in the front seat.

10:23He couldn't speak.

10:24When they brought him to the hospital,

10:26the doctors were amazed.

10:28They knew cases when people survived

10:30in cold temperatures for a long time,

10:32but not for two months.

10:34A person can live without water for several days.

10:37But Peter had no problems with this

10:38since he extracted water from the snow.

10:41Without food,

10:42a person can survive for several weeks to three months.

10:45But what about the cold?

10:47How did Peter solve this problem?

10:49At such low temperatures,

10:51people can freeze within several hours.

10:53The doctors treating Peter

10:54claimed that his body

10:56seemed to activate survival mode

10:58and fell into a deep sleep.

11:00It's like bears that hibernate during winter.

11:02But the human body

11:03can only lower the temperature by a few degrees.

11:07This is not enough to survive

11:08in minus 22 degree frost.

11:11Maybe the man somehow managed

11:12to lower the temperature even more.

11:15The case of Peter Skjellberg became famous.

11:18Doctors and scientists from all over the world

11:20put forward their hypotheses

11:22about how this man managed to survive.

11:25No one could give the exact reason.

11:28Many people claimed it was just a real miracle.

11:31Others believed it was the result

11:32of several factors combined together.

11:35One of these factors is the sleeping bag.

11:37It helps keep your body heat better

11:39so your temperature may not drop

11:41for a long time inside the bag.

11:43Another factor that probably played the key role

11:46was the igloo effect.

11:48Indigenous peoples living at the North Pole

11:51make their homes out of ice and snow.

11:53You've probably seen these round houses

11:55on the internet or in the movies.

11:57It's not warm inside them,

11:59but it doesn't let the cold in.

12:01The particular design of these houses

12:03helps keep the accumulated heat inside.

12:06Igloos can protect from strong winds,

12:09but it's possible to survive inside them

12:11only if you're wearing warm clothes.

12:13Perhaps Peter's car turned into such a house.

12:17Snow clung to it from all sides

12:18and blocked the heat inside.

12:21Many people wondered why he hadn't tried

12:23to get out and find help.

12:24But seems like Peter did the right thing.

12:28It's pretty dangerous to go out in such conditions.

12:30You don't know where you are,

12:32it's freezing cold,

12:33and there's a blizzard.

12:34Let's say you get out of the car

12:36and try to get to the nearest road.

12:38You fail and come back.

12:40But you can't find your car

12:41because the snow has covered it.

12:43Now your situation is even worse.

12:46The only option is to start digging snow

12:48and make an igloo.

12:50If you have warm clothes,

12:52an igloo will help you to keep warm

12:53and gain some time.

12:55But the right solution

12:56is to stay inside the car

12:58and wait for the rescuers,

13:00especially if you don't know where you are.

13:02If you don't have communication or signal lights,

13:05then try to make a fire.

13:07Smoke can attract the attention of people

13:09passing on the nearest road.

13:11Peter Scheilberg spent some time in the hospital,

13:14regained strength,

13:15and was cured.

13:17Now, it's much safer to be in a closed cold room

13:19or an igloo during the cold.

13:21However, if you're stuck in a severe frost

13:24without warm clothes,

13:25you have about 30 minutes to 2 hours.

13:28Maybe even less if you don't move.

13:30But in 1980,

13:32a miracle happened

13:33that shocked people and doctors

13:34all over the U.S.

13:3619-year-old Jean Hilliard

13:38was driving home at night

13:39to the small town of Langby.

13:41She lost control

13:42and ended up in a ditch.

13:44The girl decided to walk to her friend.

13:47She then saw her friend's house,

13:49but she didn't get there.

13:50She got too weak and fainted.

13:52Suddenly,

13:53Jean fell and lost consciousness

13:54near her friend's house.

13:56Jean Hilliard

13:57was wearing a light winter coat,

13:59cowboy boots,

14:00and pants,

14:00so she wasn't quite prepared

14:02for harsh winter conditions.

14:04There was a strong blizzard

14:05and snowfall outside,

14:07so no one noticed her.

14:09The friend Jean wanted to visit

14:10only saw the frozen girl

14:12near his porch in the morning.

14:14Jean Hilliard

14:15had been lying there

14:16for six hours.

14:18Her body was hard and cold

14:20as if it were made of rubber.

14:22Her eyes looked

14:23as if they were made of glass.

14:25The man who noticed the girl

14:27was sure she wasn't alive,

14:29but then he saw bubbles

14:31of moisture from her nose.

14:32The girl was breathing.

14:34He got the girl

14:35to the hospital.

14:36Her body wouldn't bend,

14:37so putting the girl

14:38in the car was problematic.

14:40The doctors immediately

14:41rushed to help Jean,

14:43but that wasn't easy.

14:44They couldn't even make

14:45any injections,

14:46as the needles

14:47would constantly break.

14:49The muscles were

14:49too stiff and frozen.

14:51Her body activated

14:52emergency mode

14:53and stopped supplying

14:55muscles and soft tissues

14:56with blood.

14:57All the red liquid

14:58was directed

14:59at the vital organs.

15:00Also,

15:01in emergency mode,

15:02our organism

15:03can slow down

15:04all internal processes

15:06of the body.

15:07The heart

15:07starts pounding slower,

15:09the lungs

15:10consume less oxygen,

15:11and the metabolism

15:12nearly stops.

15:14Such energy savings

15:15help the girl

15:16to survive.

15:17But the doctors

15:18were more surprised

15:19that Jean

15:20didn't get

15:20any serious troubles.

15:22She got frostbite,

15:23but the ice crystals

15:24didn't destroy

15:25her skin

15:25and soft tissues.

15:27Doctors decided

15:28to warm the girl

15:29with a bunch

15:29of heating pads.

15:31Then,

15:31they finally managed

15:32to inject medications.

15:34A few hours later,

15:35she regained consciousness.

15:37The test showed

15:38that Jean

15:39was in perfect health.

15:41Meanwhile,

15:42you can get

15:42into a severe trap

15:44not only in nature

15:45and bad weather.

15:46You can get stuck

15:47in an elevator

15:48in a building

15:48full of people

15:49in Manhattan,

15:50and no one

15:51will know about it.

15:52This happened

15:53in 1999

15:54with Nicholas White.

15:56The 34-year-old manager

15:57was working late

15:58in the office

15:59and decided

16:00to take a break.

16:01After getting

16:02some fresh air outside,

16:03Nicholas called

16:04the elevator

16:05to go back

16:05to the 43rd floor.

16:07But he got trapped

16:08in the elevator.

16:10It was already

16:10quite late

16:11and almost all

16:12the workers

16:12had left the building.

16:14But the worst thing

16:15was that it was

16:16Friday night.

16:17Nicholas had

16:18no phone,

16:19no food,

16:20and no water.

16:21He pressed

16:21the emergency call button,

16:23but no one

16:23answered him.

16:25The cameras

16:25worked perfectly,

16:26but the guards

16:27didn't see him.

16:28The building

16:28was basically empty.

16:30Nicholas struggled

16:31with claustrophobia,

16:32walked from side to side,

16:34jumped,

16:35laid down,

16:36tried to open the doors,

16:37and waited

16:38for someone

16:38to rescue him.

16:40There were repair workers

16:41on the other floors,

16:42but they didn't hear Nicholas.

16:44Also,

16:44his colleagues

16:45stayed in the office

16:46where he worked.

16:47They were sure

16:47that Nicholas

16:48had just gone home.

16:50They left the office

16:51using other elevators

16:52and didn't notice

16:53that Nicholas

16:54had left his things

16:55on his desk.

16:56Well,

16:57Nicholas was in despair.

16:58He was rescued

16:5941 hours later.

17:02He was lying

17:02on the elevator floor,

17:04tormented by thirst,

17:05when he suddenly

17:06heard a voice

17:07from the elevator speaker.

17:09Hey,

17:09is anyone there?

17:11Rescuers got the man

17:12out of the metal box,

17:14and the building owners

17:15paid him compensation

17:16for the inconvenience.

17:18Despite this nightmare,

17:20Nicholas continued

17:20to use the elevators.

17:22Yeah,

17:23living in Manhattan,

17:24it would be problematic

17:25to avoid them.

17:26Certainly for Nicholas,

17:28life has its ups and downs.

17:31That's it for today.

17:32So hey,

17:33if you pacified your curiosity,

17:35then give the video a like

17:36and share it with your friends.

17:37Or if you want more,

17:39just click on these videos

17:40and stay on the bright side.

17:44bye.

17:44Bye.

17:45Bye.

17:46Bye.

17:47Bye.

17:48Bye.

17:49Bye.

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