It was an ordinary day. Found a stack of paper that had a variety of short stories on them. Began to read them and realized I could amaze my friends the next time I go to play pool if I learn some of the facts that appear on the pages. So...perhaps you too might want to do the same. If so...check out the "Stuff" that follows....
A. One of the things many people don't know about Independence Day is that Congress officially declared its independence from England on July 2, 1776. We celebrate the holiday on July 4 because this is the day John Hancock became the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence.
B. If you're thinking the astronaut who's spent the most time in space is a man, you'd be wrong. That honor belongs to a woman. Astronaut Peggy Whitson has spent the most cumulative time in space.
C. Geologists consider Mt. Kileauea in Hawaii to be the most active volcano in the world because it has been erupting continuously for more than 35 years. The longest period the volcano has been inactive was the 18 years between 1934 and 1952.
D. If you love dinosaur museums, then you'll love this interesting fact about America: The United States has not only found the most dinosaur fossils, but it also has the most variety. Although the finds have been scattered throughout the country, most of them were in desert areas, where vegetation isn't likely to grow and fossils remain more accessible, since they are covered by nothing but sand and rock, as opposed to trees and soil.
E. Did you know the word Pennsylvania is spelled wrong on the Liberty Bell? Actually, "spelled wrong" is probably a bit harsh: In 1752, when the bell was made, "Pennsylvania" was one of several acceptable spellings of the state name. Our forefathers also made some glaring grammar mistakes in the Constitution.
F. Most of us have heard at one time or another that George Washington had teeth made of wood, but this isn't true. Although he did rely on dentures due to losing his teeth early in life, forensic research has proved his teeth were made from a combination of donkey, horse and human teeth.
G. Amelia Earhart has seized the hearts and imagination of the country for decades. It seems every year a new conspiracy theory emerges about her disappearance. Unfortunately, all this mystery and intrigue tend to overshadow her achievement. Although it's well known that she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, many people lose sight of the fact that she was the second person, male or female, to fly solo across the Atlantic, period, after Charles Lindbergh.
H. The largest mammal in all of North America is the bison: The males are up to 6 feet tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. If you want to see bison in the wild, there are nearly 5,000 of them in Yellowstone National Park, which is the only place to serve as a continuous home to the bison since prehistoric times.
I. The oldest bridge in the United States is the Frankford Ave. Bridge in Philadelphia. The 73-foot stone bridge was erected in 1697, which makes it older than America itself. it was reconstructed in 1893 and is still in use today. The Frankford Ave. Bridge is one of 14 of America's fascinating, lesser-known bridges.
J. Although George Washington chose the site of the White House in 1791, he never got to live in it. John and Abigail Adams were the first president and First Lady to move into the White House, and it was still under construction at the time. Since then, every president has resided in the White House while in office.
K. You've probably heard that Benjamin Franklin wanted the sturdy turkey to be our national bird instead of the majestic bald eagle. It's an interesting story, but it's not true. Franklin wrote his daughter a letter, stating that he thought the Great Seal looked more like a turkey than a bald eagle, and from there, he went on to philosophize about the attributes of both birds. This letter became the source of the turkey-instead-of-eagle myth.
L. The United States is a mighty big country, yet for some reason, one state has produced an inordinate number of presidents. One of the interesting facts about America: Eight U.S. Presidents were born in Virginia. Next in line is Ohio with seven presidents born there, and New York with five.
J. If you love libraries, then you'll truly enjoy our library facts about America: The Darby Free Library in Pennsylvania is the oldest continuously operating library in the country. Originally opened by Quakers in 1743, it has been serving community members for more than 275 years.
K. Situated in the Green River Valley, Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is home to a hidden gem: the largest known natural cave system on the planet, with more than 400 miles of caves explored.
L. The traditional Fourth of July celebration started in 1777, one year after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Large celebrations took place in Pennsylvania and Boston and included fireworks. When fireworks became available to the public in 1783, the tradition spread even further.
M. Franklin D. Roosevelt served as President longer than anyone else. The Social Security program levied heavier taxes on the rich and implemented the New Deal programs. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, now limits presidents to serving two full terms.
N. The highest mountain peak in the United States is Denali, formerly called Mt. McKinley. It stands at more than 20,310 feet tall. If you want to see Denali in person, it sits within a national park with more than 6 million acres of land to explore.
O. Okay, so here's an interesting fact about America that everyone should learn in school: Most people think Christopher Columbus landed in North America, but what you probably never learned about Columbus is that the explorer never set foot on the mainland. The only New World sites visited by Columbus were the Caribbean Islands and parts of Central America and South America.
P. There are perhaps no criminals in American history more notorious than Frank and Jesse James. Popular folklore paints them as Robin Hood-like bandits who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but there is no evidence this is true. The truth is, the James brothers committed their robberies for personal gain and, worse yet, sometimes murdered people in the process.
Q. The oldest continuously run newspaper in the United States is The Hartford Courant, known originally as The Connecticut Courant. The paper has been published since 1764, and the first issue was only 4 pages long. The newspaper recently digitized its archives, allowing historians to study issues from 250 years ago.
R. Niagara Falls is one of the most iconic waterfalls in the world. In 1885, Niagara Falls State Park became the first state park established in the country. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City.
S. The largest currency denomination circulated is the $10,000 bill. One money fact is that unlike most other bills, it didn't picture a president, but rather treasury secretary Salmon P. Chase, who went on to serve as chief justice of the Supreme Court, starting in 1864. If you haven't seen a $10,000 bill wandering around, there's a reason for that. The government stopped producing them in 1969.
T. Alexander Hamilton established the first federal bank n Philadelphia in 1971, aptly named First Bank. Although the building is now a park service office, the history behind it and it's gorgeous, columned exterior still make it a major tourist attraction.
U. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which finally gave women the right to vote, was passed by Congress in 1919 and ratified in 1920. It was a moment that changed women's history forever. Not only did women finally have the right to vote, but the amendment also gave them the right to own property.
V. Ben Franklin was famously one of the Founding Fathers of our country, but he was also a revered inventor and scientist. His inventions included bifocals, the Franklin stove, the urinary catheter and swimming fins. He is also one of the people who signed the U.S. Constitution.
W. Corn is the most widely grown produce in the United States. In fact, in 2019, U.S. farmers produced a mind-blowing 91.7 million acres of corn. That's enough to fill 69 football fields.
X. In American folklore, perhaps no group of immigrants looms larger than the passengers of the Mayflower. In fact, the Mayflower pilgrims are so ingrained in our culture it's easy to forget that they were real people. Today we have living proof of this, as there are an estimated 10 million Americans and 35 million worldwide descendants of the Mayflower. Among the most famous are John Adams, Julia Child, Humphrey Bogart and Norman Rockwell.
Y. It's no secret that Americans love pizza, however it might surprise you to learn that we eat enough pizza every day to cover 100 acres. Total it up and that's 3 billion pizzas a year. Sadly, no official data is available regarding how many of this pies were consumed due to Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos's "Two Pizza Rule."
Z. Most people assume English is the official language of the United States, but the truth is although that might be the case in many of the states, the federal government has never declared an official language, not English or anything else.
And, one for good luck! You may think that Thanksgiving was always held on the fourth Thursday of November, but that's not the case. The holiday was held on several different dates until Abraham Lincoln declared in 1863 that it would henceforth be held every year on the fourth Thursday in November. This day was honored by every subsequent president until FDR moved it to the third Thursday of November in 1939, to extend the Christmas season. After many complaints, he realized his msitake and two years later moved it back to the forth Thursday; that's when we celebrate it today.
And....That's all Folks! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
No comments:
Post a Comment