On January 28, 1887, the cavalry detachment guarding the banks of the Yellowstone River against the Great Sioux Nation was covered by an amazing snowfall. The weather had been warm, so one of the falling snowflakes quickly drew the attention of the General — at almost 15 inches in size, it is still thought to be the largest snowflake ever seen by humankind.
The physicist Kenneth Libbrecht, a specialist in snowflakes, claims that only 1 in 10,000 snowflakes will form into a smooth, beautiful, and symmetrical creation — in his experience, at least.
