Apparently we need to shore up the history curriculum, because a bunch of drivers in California recently found themselves reliving history having completely failed to learn from humanity’s past mistakes.


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Earlier this month, those on Interstate 80, which includes the infamous Donner Pass, were subjected to horrible conditions thanks to a blizzard — for instance, gusts of wind that exceeded 100 miles per hour, up to 18 inches of snow and avalanche warnings. The blizzard shut down several roads in the Lake Tahoe region, including roads that connect Tahoe with Sacramento and Reno, and roads linking Southern California with Mammoth Mountain.



Unfortunately, the conditions resulted in several drivers finding themselves stranded on Donner Pass, in a horrifying repeat of the infamous historical incident when desperate families trying to make their way to their new home in California were stranded on the Pass and forced to resort to cannibalism to stay alive. Fortunately, in this case, as far as we know, nobody had to resort to cannibalism; doing so would have been slightly extreme given nobody was stranded for long enough for the cannibalism question to come up.


An amateur documentarian uploaded a short documentary to YouTube showcasing the conditions on Donner Pass, with the narration emphasizing the fact that commuters had been given ample warning at least a week in advance but chose to drive in a blizzard anyway.



Wet, stormy and snowy conditions have persisted in the area for most of March, with drivers traversing Donner Pass now being required to drive with chains on their tires. Ideally, though, you’d avoid the area altogether even in the best weather conditions — I at least wouldn’t want to run the risk of encountering any vengeful spirits who’ve dedicated their eternal lives to scaring people away from Donner Pass.