So, the next time someone says, “I’m as cold as an igloo,” you can gently correct them. You can say, “Actually, an igloo is about as warm as a chilly fall day.” Which, in the middle of a polar winter, is basically paradise.
The Inuit didn’t build these things because they were masochists. They built them because they’re brilliantly efficient survival machines. They use the enemy (snow) to fight the enemy (cold). It’s like giving the winter a permanent wedgie.
Geography - Library
And here’s the kicker: In the old days, people would sometimes sleep completely naked inside an igloo. Yes, naked. Why? Because their sleeping furs (like caribou or polar bear skins) were so effective at trapping heat that wearing clothes would make them overheat and sweat. And sweat in the Arctic is a death sentence. So off came the parkas, and in came the snuggles. Wild, right?
