On this episode of Our American Stories, in the hills of Vermont, a boy named Wilson Bentley fell in love with snow. Each flake, he noticed, was fleeting and perfect, gone before he could study it. Determined to keep their beauty from melting away, he began experimenting with photography in his family’s farmhouse. On January 15, 1885, at twenty years old, Bentley succeeded in taking the first photograph of a snowflake. Using a microscope and a bellows camera, he revealed a world of icy symmetry no one had ever seen. He spent the rest of his life photographing snow crystals, building a collection of more than five thousand historic photos that reshaped early photography and inspired generations of scientists and artists alike. Dr. Jerry Bergman tells the story.

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<p>On this episode of Our American Stories, in the hills of Vermont, a boy named Wilson Bentley fell in love with snow. Each flake, he noticed, was fleeting and perfect, gone before he could study it. Determined to keep their beauty from melting away, he began experimenting with photography in his family&rsquo;s farmhouse. On January 15, 1885, at twenty years old, Bentley succeeded in taking the first photograph of a snowflake. Using a microscope and a bellows camera, he revealed a world of icy symmetry no one had ever seen. He spent the rest of his life photographing snow crystals, building a collection of more than five thousand historic photos that reshaped early photography and inspired generations of scientists and artists alike. Dr. Jerry Bergman tells the story.</p>
<p>Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a></p>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

The Vermont Farmer Who Took the First Photograph of a Snowflake

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c7299fa0-4d2a-4203-9752-b3860156dcc5/transcript

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