—
Top 10 CRAZIEST Facts About Yellowstone! From amazing geysers to incredible landscapes…stay tuned to number 1 to find out the craziest facts about Yellowstone National Park!
This top 10 brought to you by Zero2Hero!!
—
—
Transcript Provided by YouTube:
00:00
From amazing geysers to incredible landscapes…stay tuned to number 1 to find out the craziest
00:07
facts about Yellowstone National Park!
00:20
Number 10: Yellowstone Is Really Big.
00:23
One of the things that sets Yellowstone National Park apart from various other parks is its
00:29
size.
00:30
Yes, it’s not the biggest park in the United States (that would be Wrangell-St. Elias in
00:35
Alaska), but it is rather impressive in terms of scope.
00:38
In fact, you could put both the states of Delaware and Rhode Island into the Yellowstone
00:43
Park and have room to spare.
00:45
Here’s another interesting fact, Yellowstone isn’t nestled within one state, it’s actually
00:50
in three.
00:51
You’ll find most of Yellowstone in Wyoming, but…you’ll also find parts of it in Idaho
00:56
and Montana.
00:57
That’s another piece of proof for how big it is.
01:00
Yet, that’s still not the only identifier for how big it is, but this is: it’s the features
01:06
that make it so big.
01:07
You see, the Yellowstone National Park has a major amount of geothermal features.
01:12
You know, like geysers, and steam vents, and even hot springs.
01:16
There are so many of them packed within Yellowstone that it actually holds half of the worlds
01:21
geothermal features.
01:22
Half!
01:23
All within one park.
01:25
Really puts its size into perspective, doesn’t it?
01:29
Number 9: No One Believed The Stories About Geysers.
01:32
We all know the phrase, “Seeing is believing”, right?
01:36
Because sometimes, an idea or theory or sighting is so out of this world that it can’t be believed
01:42
until we see it with our own two eyes.
01:44
Now, usually, you’d associate this kind of logic with something like Bigfoot, or aliens.
01:49
But in the early days of the United States, geysers were something that people had a hard
01:54
time believing in.
01:55
It may seem odd in context, but think about it.
01:58
The early settlers were on the eastern coast of the United States, and thus didn’t have
02:02
access to geysers.
02:04
And there clearly wasn’t ones in Europe where they lived.
02:07
So, when a man named John Colter went through Wyoming and saw the geysers of Yellowstone,
02:11
and tried to describe them to others, what do you think they thought?
02:16
That he was crazy!
02:18
Water shooting out of the ground with incredible power?
02:20
And shooting out steam as it did?
02:22
To them, it was madness.
02:23
The ironic thing though is that 50 years later (when Wyoming still wasn’t that explored),
02:24
another explore named Jim Bridges made claims about similar things…and still no one believed
02:25
him.
02:26
But the most ironic thing of all?
02:27
When you think of Yellowstone National Park now?
02:29
You think of Old Faithful and the other geysers of the park.
02:33
I guess they finally believed.
02:36
Number 8: A Painter Helped Create Yellowstone.
02:39
Sticking with history a bit longer, let’s talk about how Yellowstone National Park got
02:44
officially made.
02:45
For it didn’t just happen, especially not in those days.
02:48
But before we learn about it’s discovery, take a moment to like this video and join
02:53
the Zero2Hero Community by using the buttons below!
02:57
Yellowstone had to be discovered, explored, and then talked about to those in power.
03:02
The first officially funded expedition into the park was done in 1871.
03:07
This expedition had many people on it, including the leader, Ferdinand Hayden.
03:12
Along with him was a plethora of botanists, biologists, and somewhat surprisingly, an
03:17
artist.
03:18
But then again, with camera technology not being anywhere at the time, they needed someone
03:23
to make a visual depiction of the land.
03:27
This artists’ name was Thomas Moran.
03:29
Thomas Moran used his time in what would become Yellowstone to great effect.
03:33
He made over 30 watercolor paintings of the region, depicting various parts of the park
03:38
in great detail.
03:39
At first, the paintings were only shown to the people, who were amazed by them.
03:44
But then, they were also shown to the members of Congress.
03:47
Why?
03:48
Well, because many people wanted to make this region a “national playground”, and they needed
03:52
Congress’ approval to do so.
03:55
The pictures were so lovely, that Congress agreed that this place should be preserved
03:59
for all time, and thus, Yellowstone National Park became the first official National Park
04:05
in United States history.
04:07
Number 7: The Truth About Old Faithful.
04:11
As I noted earlier, when you think about Yellowstone National Park, you don’t just have your mind
04:15
go to the geysers of the park.
04:17
But more specifically, you think about Old Faithful.
04:20
This legendary geyser is very different from all the other geysers in the park (did I mention
04:25
there are 300 of them in Yellowstone?) because it has a frequency to it that has to be admired.
04:32
In fact, people have timed the gaps between the eruptions and found that they are about
04:36
92 minutes between eruptions…give or take.
04:39
Because of this, Old Faithful erupts around 17 times a day.
04:43
But…as time has gone on, people have noted that Old Faithful isn’t as reliable as she
04:48
once was, or as they think she is.
04:51
In fact, the gap between her eruptions has actually increased over the last few decades.
04:56
Which means that this could continue on for future decades, until it takes a lot longer
05:00
for her to blow her top.
05:02
Here’s another fun fact, you might be under the impression that Old Faithful is the biggest
05:07
geyser in Yellowstone National Park, well, it isn’t.
05:11
The biggest geyser there, and the biggest geyser in the world in terms of water shooting
05:15
height, is the Steamboat Geyser.
05:17
This incredible geyser can shoot water up to 300 feet into the air.
05:22
Not bad huh?
05:24
Number 6: A Stranded Explorer While it is certainly easy enough to get lost
05:29
in the world today, even with the advancements of our technology, back in the 1800’s, getting
05:34
lost was a much bigger deal.
05:36
For if you weren’t careful, you could pass away within a short amount of time.
05:41
This almost happened to a man named Truman Everts, who found himself lost in 1870 within
05:46
what would soon be Yellowstone National Park.
05:49
How did this happen?
05:50
Well, before it was a national park, it was just an area that people would travel to and
05:55
explore.
05:56
And thus, a team of surveyors was going to the land to see what it was all about.
06:00
Among them was Everts, who wasn’t exactly a survival expert.
06:04
In fact, he was a bureaucrat!
06:07
So imagine his horror when he got separated from the group, and when the group couldn’t
06:11
find him in the park, they left him behind.
06:14
Usually, this would spell out a death sentence, but in this case, Everts was able to stay
06:19
alive.
06:20
And he stayed alive for 37 days until he was found by another group of people.
06:25
While he did live, including being nursed back to health, it did take a toll.
06:31
He weighed only 90 pounds when he was rediscovered, and frostbite had done serious damage to his
06:36
feet.
06:37
There is an upside here though.
06:38
Because of this experience, Everts wrote a book called “37 Days In Peril”, and it became
06:43
a hit, and that led to serious momentum in making Yellowstone a national park.
06:49
Number 5: Where Do The Geysers Come From?
06:53
The geysers are a big part of Yellowstone National Park, in fact, they make up a large
06:57
part of its identity.
06:58
But here’s the question, do you know where they all come from?
07:02
For while one can be easily explained based on the land it’s on, when you have 300 of
07:08
them in a single area?
07:09
Yeah, that’s a lot to factor in.
07:12
In fact, this was one of the reasons people didn’t believe in geysers at first, because
07:16
there were so many seen by the explorers.
07:20
Once scientists got involved though, it was revealed that Yellowstone National Park is
07:24
actually on top of a supervolcano!
07:27
Yep, a supervolcano!
07:29
In fact, it’s the largest supervolcano in all of North America.
07:33
So, the question is, is the volcano active?
07:37
Yes, yes it is.
07:38
But you shouldn’t fear an eruption just yet.
07:42
Based on scientific research, the last eruption was 640,000 years ago at best guess.
07:48
And it doesn’t seem to be in any mood to erupt right now.
07:52
That being said…should it get the “urge” to erupt?
07:55
Yeah, it would basically destroy the United States in one form or another.
08:01
Number 4: The Park Can Kill Bison.
08:04
No, I don’t mean that humans have the rights to kill bison in the park (thankfully), but
08:09
rather, the park itself actually has the ability to unintentionally kill bison.
08:16
And can you guess why?
08:17
Yep, it’s the geysers.
08:18
How does that work?
08:21
Well, the Norris Geyser Basin has the ability to produce toxic emissions…gasses, in more
08:27
simplistic terms.
08:28
So much of a problem were these gasses that in 2004, a group of five bison walking by
08:34
the basin were said to have died because of the toxic emissions.
08:38
This wasn’t the first time this had happened either, for in 1899, a group of bears died
08:44
in basically the same way.
08:47
Thankfully for all animals, this is not a regular occurrence, but it is possible.
08:52
Further showing how dangerous geysers, and this park, can be.
08:57
Number 3: The Military Protected Yellowstone From Poachers.
09:01
So, in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was officially born.
09:05
Happy ending right then and there, right?
09:08
Wrong.
09:09
Not even a decade later, in 1882, Congress had pulled all funding from Yellowstone, leaving
09:14
it open for all sorts of businesses and poachers to ravage the landscape.
09:18
One man in particular was aghast by this: General Phillip Sheridan.
09:24
This Civil War leader was a believer in nature, and saw the events going on as heinous.
09:30
Therefore, being a general, he made an order to send military troops to Yellowstone in
09:34
order to protect the land from all sorts of invaders and disturbances.
09:39
Know as the “Spread Eagle Men”, the soldiers of Yellowstone protected the park until 1918,
09:45
when the National Park Service took over the job.
09:47
But still, had it not bene for Sheridan and his men, Yellowstone National Park may look
09:52
very different from what it is now.
09:55
Number 2: Wonderland.
09:57
It must have been quite a sight to the settlers from Europe to see a park like this in the
10:02
United States.
10:04
So it’s not much of a surprise that they had all kinds of nicknames for Yellowstone.
10:08
But in 1883 and on, one stuck out above the rest, Wonderland.
10:13
Yeah, like Alice in Wonderland.
10:16
In fact, the release of the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland helped ensure visitors to the
10:22
park.
10:23
They even made an ad with Alice explaining all the wonders she saw in this new Wonderland.
10:28
Even back then, they knew how to advertise.
10:32
Number 1: Earthquake!
10:34
When you hear the word earthquake, your instinct might be to hide underneath a table and hold
10:39
on for dear life, and that’s a good instinct.
10:43
You might also think that earthquakes wouldn’t happen in a place like Yellowstone.
10:47
In fact, the opposite is true.
10:49
They happen all the time.
10:51
Between 1,000 and 3,000 earthquakes happen in Yellowstone every year.
10:57
It gets better, or worse, depending on how you see things.
11:02
In 2010, there were 250 earthquakes at Yellowstone in the course of just 48 hours.
11:08
So why do people still go there if it’s so dangerous?
11:12
Well…it’s not actually.
11:13
You see, although there ARE earthquakes there, not all of them can be felt.
11:18
They’re tiny, and quick, and don’t shake the ground that much.
11:22
There are some bigger ones, sure, but they’re nothing like the monstrous ones we all know
11:27
about.
11:28
But if you do feel the Earth move when you’re at Yellowstone, now you know why.
11:32
Have you ever been to Yellowstone?
11:34
Let us know about it in the comments below and…take care!
—
This post was previously published on YouTube.
—
Photo credit: Screenshot from video