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Steven Meyer Send message Joined: 24 Mar 08 Posts: 2333 Credit: 3,428,296 RAC: 0 |
California Firsts, Facts, and Trivia 1. California's Mount Whitney measures as the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Its most famous climb is Mount Whitney Trail to the 14,495 feet summit. Wilderness permits are required. 2. In 1925 a giant sequoia located in California's Kings Canyon National Park was named the nation's national Christmas tree. The tree is over 300 feet in height. 3. More turkeys are raised in California than in any other state in the United States. 4. Pacific Park, on the venerable Santa Monica Pier, re-creates the amusement parks once dotting the ocean areas along the Pacific Coast. Featured are 11 amusement rides including the 1910-vintage hand-carved merry-go-round appearing in the movie "The Sting." 5. Alpine County is the eighth smallest of California's 58 counties. It has no high school, ATMs, dentists, banks, or traffic lights. 6. Fallbrook is known as the Avocado Capital of the World and hosts an annual Avocado Festival. More avocados are grown in the region than any other county in the nation. 7. In the late 1850s, Kennedy Mine, located in Jackson, served as one of the richest gold mines in the world and the deepest mine in North America. 8. An animal called the riparian brush rabbit calls Caswell Memorial State Park (near Manteca) its home. Endemic only to the state's park system, the critter lives in approximately 255 acres stretching along the area's once-vast hardwood forest. 9. In Pacific Grove there is a law on the books establishing a $500 fine for molesting butterflies. 10. The largest three-day rodeo in the United States is held on the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff. 11. Demonstrations on making toothpaste from orange by-products were popular attractions at the Los Angeles County fair in 1922. The fair is held in Pomona. 12. Located in Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum is the largest museum of its kind in North America. 13. Several celebrities are buried at Hillside Cemetery in Culver City. Included gravesites are those of Al Jolson, George Jessel, Eddie Canter, Jack Benny, and Percy Faith. 14. California Caverns claims the distinction of being the most extensive system of caverns and passageways in the Mother Lode region of the state. 15. Totaling nearly three million acres, San Bernardino County is the largest county in the country. 16. On Catalina Island in 1926, American author Zane Grey built a pueblo-style home on the hillside overlooking Avalon Bay. He spent much of his later life in Avalon. The home is now a hotel. 17. Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge contains the largest winter population of bald eagles in the continental United States. 18. Author Richard Dana (1851-1882) wrote the novel "Two Years Before the Mast." He inspired the name for the beach community of Dana Point. 19. In Atwater the Castle Air Museum has the largest display of military aircraft in the state. 20. The Country Store in Baker has sold more winning California State Lottery tickets than any outlet in the state. 21. Reputed to be the most corrupt politician in Fresno County history, Vice-leader Joseph Spinney was mayor for only ten minutes. 22. The Iron Door Saloon in Groveland claims to be the oldest drinking establishment in the state. It was constructed in 1852. 23. The Hollywood Bowl is the world's largest outdoor amphitheater. 24. The first person to personally receive a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood was actress Joanne Woodward. She received it in 1960. 25. Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees. 26. The first motion picture theater opened in Los Angeles on April 2, 1902. 27. Inyo National Forest is home to the bristle cone pine, the oldest living species. Some of the gnarled trees are thought to be over 4,600 years old. 28. San Francisco Bay is considered the world's largest landlocked harbor. 29. Sequoia National Park contains the largest living tree. Its trunk is 102 feet in circumference. 30. Yorba Linda is home to the Richard Nixon Library. 31. The Coachella Valley is nicknamed The Date Capital of the world and The Playground of Presidents. 32. One out of every eight United States residents lives in California. 33. California is the first state to ever reach a trillion dollar economy in gross state product. 34. California has the largest economy in the states of the union. (Maybe not anymore...) 35. If California's economic size were measured by itself to other countries, it would rank the 7th largest economy in the world. (Maybe not anymore...) 36. Los Angeles is ranked the fourth largest economy in the United States compared to other states. 37. Simi Valley is the home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. 38. It is estimated there are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors in California annually. 39. During his engagement at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, Otis Redding stayed on a houseboat in Sausalito. While there he wrote his last song and greatest hit: "The Dock of the Bay." 40. The state motto is Eureka!, a Greek word translated "I have found it!" The motto was adopted in 1849 and alludes to the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada. 41. California is known variously as The Land of Milk and Honey, The El Dorado State, The Golden State, and The Grape State. 42. There are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California annually. 43. California produces more than 17 million gallons of wine each year. 44. The redwood is the official state tree. Some of the giant redwoods in Sequoia National Park are more than 2,000 years old. 45. The California poppy is the official state flower. The California grizzly bear (Ursus californicus) is the official state animal. 46. California holds two of the top ten most populous cities: Los Angeles and San Diego. 47. Fresno proclaims itself the Raisin Capital of the World. 48. The highest and lowest points in the continental United States are within 100 miles of one another. Mount Whitney measures 14,495 feet and Bad Water in Death Valley is 282 feet below sea level. 49. Castroville is known as the Artichoke Capital of the World. In 1947 a young woman named Norma Jean was crowned Castroville's first Artichoke Queen. She went on to become actress Marilyn Monroe. |
HAL Send message Joined: 28 Mar 03 Posts: 704 Credit: 870,617 RAC: 0 |
#5. Please send a contact for thier County Chamber of Commerce - If they have the fewest number of politicians -Sounds almost like Shangri La #9. Last Time I was in California I heard that law was being batted around based on a similar law sponsored by the Councilmen from Haight-Ashbury. Classic WU= 7,237 Classic Hours= 42,079 |
trigggl Send message Joined: 9 Jan 09 Posts: 5 Credit: 1,120,435 RAC: 0 |
African elephants only have four teeth to chew their food with. Don't know if this has been posted, but The elephants don't die of old age. They die of starvation or malnutrition when their last set of teeth fall out. Also, I think they have 8 teeth to chew with. There are 4 in use on the top and four in use on the bottom. The tusks are also technically teeth. 6r39 7ri99 Beware the dual headed Gentoo with Wine! |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30639 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
#5. Please send a contact for thier County Chamber of Commerce - If they have the fewest number of politicians -Sounds almost like Shangri La http://www.alpinecounty.com/ |
klc53* Send message Joined: 14 Nov 07 Posts: 3052 Credit: 7,320,707 RAC: 0 |
Hot Weather facts Al'Aziziyah in Libya has the highest recorded temperature on earth at a sweltering 58°C on the 13th Sept, 1922. Cold Weather facts The lowest ever recorded world temperature was at Vostok Station, Antarctica on the 21 July 1983 at a bitter -89.6°C Rain Statistics Mawsynram in India is noted as being the wettest place on earth is with over 11 meters of rain falling every year. Sun facts: In contrast, Antofagasta in Chile is the driest place on the planet getting less than 0.1mm per year, and with many years having no rainfall whatsoever. Yuma in the state of Arizona has over 4,000 hours of sunshine per year - making it the sunniest place on the planet! The South Pole is the least sunny place - only 182 days a year get sunshine. Windy Facts: The windiest place on earth is Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica where winds of 200mph have been recorded. The strongest ever recorded wind was on Mt Washington, New Hampshire, USA at an amazing 231mph. http://www.climateandweather.net/world ... BETTER THE WORLD ~ PAY IT FORWARD ... |
Matthew Love Send message Joined: 26 Sep 99 Posts: 7763 Credit: 879,151 RAC: 0 |
One billion bicycles There are about a billion bicycles in the world, twice as many as motorcars. Almost 400 million bicycles are in China. Although Leonardo da Vinci drew some rough sketches of a contraption that looked like a bicycle, the Frenchman De Sivrac built the first bicycle-type vehicle in 1690. It was referred to as a hobbyhorse. However, it did not have pedals. Those were added in 1840 by a Scottish blacksmith, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, who is credited with inventing the real bicycle. On a penny-farthing bicycle, one pedal gave the wheel one turn. A lot of pedalling was needed to get around! With the advent of gears, bicycles could move as fast as cars. Air-filled tyres were used on bicycles before they were used on motorcars. The bicycle as we know it today - with two wheels of the same size - looks almost exactly the same as one from 1900. The first five-seat bicycle, the quindem, was built in 1940. The world speed record on a bicycle is held by John Howard, Olympic Cyclist and Ironman triathlon winner from the US. In 1985 he reached 245,08 km/h (152.2 mph), cycling in the slipstream of a specially designed car. LETS BEGIN IN 2010 |
Steven Meyer Send message Joined: 24 Mar 08 Posts: 2333 Credit: 3,428,296 RAC: 0 |
One billion bicycles I think about half of them are on the Stanford Campus :-) |
zoom3+1=4 Send message Joined: 30 Nov 03 Posts: 65737 Credit: 55,293,173 RAC: 49 |
One billion bicycles They must all be foldable then. ;) The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's |
Matthew Love Send message Joined: 26 Sep 99 Posts: 7763 Credit: 879,151 RAC: 0 |
More movies produced in Bollywood than Hollywood Each year, more movies are produced in India, where the moving image industry is referred to as Bollywood, than in Hollywood. About 1000 movies are released annually in India, about twice the output of Hollywood. The "B" in Bollywood refers to Bombai (renamed Mumbai). Bollywood movies often are quite long; 3 hours or more of dancing and singing around love as the main plot - although kissing is almost never shown on screen. Everyday, some 14 million Indian people queu for a movie, with more than 4 billion movie tickets sold annually, compared to 3 billion for Hollywood movies worldwide. Before Bollywood The first movie screened publicly was "La Sortie des Ouvriers de l'Usine Lumire" which was presented by Auguste and Louis Lumiere in Paris in 1895. The first movie to use sound was "The Jazz Singer," released in 1927: the first words, spoken by Al Jolson, were: "Wait a minute, you ain't heard nothing yet." According to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), in 1996 the average Hollywood film cost $35.3 million to make and another $17.7 million to market. Disney's "The Lion King" cost $45 million to make and employed a total of 800 animators. Bollywood flicks are produced at average $2m. The most expensive film ever made as at year 2000, was James Cameron's "Titanic." It cost $200 million, but also was the most successful, in the sense that it won 11 Academy Awards, equalling "Ben Hur" of 1959. The top five moneymaking films of all time are: Titanic (1997) [$1,835m], The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) [$1,129m], Jurassic Park [$920m], Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) [$1,060m], and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) [$968,657,891]. When adjusted for inflation, Gone With The Wind remains the highest grossing [$1,4 billion and growing], followed by Star Wars and Sound of Music, according to boxofficemojo. Note that they all are family-type movies. In fact, movies with strong sexual or violence content usually bomb at the box office. According to the American Family Association, the average cost to produce a movie in 1996 was $40 million. Sex films grossed on average only $700 000. Movies with strong Christian or family content each grossed over $37 million. The figures have sinced changed, but not the facts. "Frankly my dear..." Gone With The Wind has been the best-attended film since its release in 1939. Without a doubt the most famous line in the movie is when Rhett Butler tells Scarlet O'Hara, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." According to Cuss Control, a book by James O'Connor, director David Selznick was fined heavy for that curse word: $5,000. A lot of money in those days. The movie is based on the book by Margaret Mitchell. It was the only book she wrote. The biggest movie promotion deal is the $2 billion agreement between George Lucas - the director of the "Star Wars" trilogy - and Pepsi for exclusive worldwide use of the film's characters. 50% of Hollywood movies never achieve a cinema release. Those that do, make 5 times more from video sales than cinema takings. The longest movie ever The longest movie in the world according to Guinness World Records is The Cure for Insomnia, directed by John Henry Timmis IV. Released in 1987, the running time is 5220 minutes (87 hours) and has no plot. Instead, it consists of poet L. D. Groban reciting his 4,080-page poem "A Cure for Insomnia" over the course of three and a half days. The movie is inter-spliced with clips from porno and heavy metal music videos. LETS BEGIN IN 2010 |
kittyman Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 51468 Credit: 1,018,363,574 RAC: 1,004 |
"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God" No matter what comments may have been made about their political comments in the past, I always considered this a tribute to the Travelling Soldier.... To those known and unknown....... "Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster |
zoom3+1=4 Send message Joined: 30 Nov 03 Posts: 65737 Credit: 55,293,173 RAC: 49 |
"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God" And due to identification techniques today, There will be no more soldiers buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier according to the US Government. The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's |
klc53* Send message Joined: 14 Nov 07 Posts: 3052 Credit: 7,320,707 RAC: 0 |
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, June 5, 2009 – The last time the 25th Naval Construction Regiment had a mission even remotely approaching the scope of its task in Afghanistan, was during its last deployment, preparing for the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. So 65 years later, Navy Capt. Jeff Borowy recognizes the symbolism as he borrows words from Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to tell the Seabees he commands, “The eyes of the world are upon you.†The unit, decommissioned after World War II and recommissioned just last year in Gulfport, Miss., is part of the massive buildup under way in Afghanistan to accommodate incoming U.S. forces. One testament to their efforts is Camp Leatherneck, a facility that is springing up in record time alongside the British Camp Bastion in Helmand Province. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54674 ... BETTER THE WORLD ~ PAY IT FORWARD ... |
klc53* Send message Joined: 14 Nov 07 Posts: 3052 Credit: 7,320,707 RAC: 0 |
The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'. On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day. Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag. Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered. In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating. Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself." Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. ... BETTER THE WORLD ~ PAY IT FORWARD ... |
klc53* Send message Joined: 14 Nov 07 Posts: 3052 Credit: 7,320,707 RAC: 0 |
Lightning strikes the surface of our planet about 100 times every second. Each flash of lightning contains over one billion volts - enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb continually for three months. A lightning flash can happen in half a second. In that instant, the lightning flash superheats the surrounding air to a temperature five times hotter than that on the surface of the sun. Nearby air expands and vibrates, forming sound that we hear as thunder, but as sound travels more slowly than light, it seems as though the thunder occurs after the lightning strike. Lightning is one of the most deadly natural occurrences known to man, creating temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and shockwaves beaming out in all directions. Lightning effects the earth in a number of ways, massive trees and buildings can be completely destroyed by a single lightning strike. Thunder is caused by the tremendous heat connected with the lightning flash. In less than a second, the air is heated to 15,000 to 60,000 degrees Fahrenheit. When the air is heated to this temperature quickly, it rapidly expands. When lightning strikes very close by, the sound will be a loud bang or snap. The duration of the thunder associated with a nearby lightning strike will be very short. Lightning which strikes farther away will rumble for a longer period of time as the sound arrives at different times due to the length of the lightning flash. Thunder can typically be heard up to 10 miles away. ... BETTER THE WORLD ~ PAY IT FORWARD ... |
Ulrik Send message Joined: 23 Oct 03 Posts: 44 Credit: 142,711 RAC: 0 |
The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries in the world (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined. The world’s billionaires  just 497 people (approximately 0.000008% of the world’s population)  are worth $3.5 trillion (over 7% of world GDP). Low income countries (2.4 billion people) account for just $1.6 trillion of world GDP or 3.3% |
Uli Send message Joined: 6 Feb 00 Posts: 10923 Credit: 5,996,015 RAC: 1 |
Du hast recht. Welcome to the boards. Uli Pluto will always be a planet to me. Seti Ambassador Not to late to order an Anni Shirt |
Virtual Boss* Send message Joined: 4 May 08 Posts: 417 Credit: 6,440,287 RAC: 0 |
Global warming is caused by daylight saving (summer time). As per a previous post in this thread .... During a total solar eclipse the temperature can drop by 6 degrees Celsius (about 20 degrees Fahrenheit). The obvious conclusion from this is that the extra hour of sunshine at the end of each day is the reason for the increase in global temperatures. LOL |
Steven Meyer Send message Joined: 24 Mar 08 Posts: 2333 Credit: 3,428,296 RAC: 0 |
Global warming is caused by daylight saving (summer time). <voice name="Homer Simpson">D'oh!</voice> |
Matthew Love Send message Joined: 26 Sep 99 Posts: 7763 Credit: 879,151 RAC: 0 |
So, who invented the paperclip? When Johann Vaaler patented his paper clip in 1901, there already were similar designs on the books. William Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut patented his design in 1899. Cornelius Brosnan of Springfield, Massachusetts patented his Konaclip in 1900. The paper clip So, who was first? Well, it is thought to be Johann Vaaler. Drawings of his design date to early 1899, but since Norway had no patent law at the time, he had to seek patent rights in Germany and the US in the following years. Johann Vaaler was born on 15 March 1866 in Aurskog, Norway. Known as an innovator in his youth, he graduated in electronics, science and mathematics. He was employed by the owner of a invention office when he invented the paperclip in 1899. Several designs followed the original. Only a few remain, such as the Ideal, Non-Skid, Owl and Gem. The first double-oval clip, the Gem, was launched in early-1900 by Gem Manufacturing Ltd of England. LETS BEGIN IN 2010 |
klc53* Send message Joined: 14 Nov 07 Posts: 3052 Credit: 7,320,707 RAC: 0 |
When trying to figure out when the first computer was invented, it can all depend on whom you ask. A historian might tell you that the first computer was the abacus, which was invented in Asia about 5000 years ago. However, the first modern computer was actually invented during World War II when a team of scientists and engineers at the University of Pennsylvania invented a general-purpose electronic digital calculator know as ENIAC (Electronic Numerator, Integrator, Analyzer, and Computer). It consisted of 18,000 vacuum tubes and it was capable of adding 5,000 ten-digit decimal numbers per second. It also contained 7,200 crystal diodes, 1,500 relays, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors and around 5 million hand-soldered joints. It weighed approximately 30 short tons, took up about 1800 square feet (167 m²), and consumed 150 kW of power. ____________________________ First programmable computer The Z1 originally created by Germany's Konrad Zuse in his parents living room in 1936 to 1938 is considered to be the first electrical binary programmable computer. ... BETTER THE WORLD ~ PAY IT FORWARD ... |
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