The Washington Monument is capped with a 22.6 cm aluminium pyramid.
The term “aluminum” is commonly used in North America, but “aluminium” is common elsewhere in the English-speaking world.
The weight of the aluminum tip on the capstone of the Washington Monument is 100 oz (2.8 kg). The weight of the capstone is 3,300 lbs.
Construction of the Washington Monument stopped for decades - including throughout the Civil War - due to disputes over control of the managing organization, and funding shortfalls. To this day, there is a distinct color difference between the lower and upper halves of the obelisk.
Due to foundation issues in the marshy ground that was present at its construction, the Washington Monument is located slightly southeast of the intersection of a north-south line from the White House and an east-west line from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. Aerial views or maps of DC show the Mall, Independence Avenue, and Constitution Avenue at a slight angle from Pierre L’Enfant’s grid to keep the monument centered.
L’Enfant had planned merely an equestrian statue of Washington (the town is full of those things as it is) at the site, which would have prevented the asymmetry issues.
The sail frigate USS Constitution is still a commissioned warship of the U.S. Navy, and assignment to the ship is considered an honor, although sailors’ duties aboard are almost entirely tourist-related.
The USS Constellation is a tourist attraction in Baltimore Harbor. It was believed for many years that the ship dated from 1797, making it the same age as the Constitution. However, research has proven that the current ship (a sloop instead of a frigate) was built as a new vessel in 1854.
The word “sloop” is one of those interesting words that was originally in Old English, went to another language, and them came back again. OE ‘slupan’ became the Dutch word ‘sloep’, a verb meaning “to glide”, then back to English as a boat with that characteristic. The modern Dutch word ‘sloep’ is pronounced the same as ‘sloop’ in English
Another Dutch name for a type of sailing vessel is yacht, originally from Jacht, “hunt”. A yacht was originally a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries. After its selection by Charles II of England as the vessel to carry him to Britain from Holland for his restoration in 1660, it came to be used to mean a vessel used to convey important persons.
Antonia Fraser, in her biography of Charles II, includes this interesting ‘link with history’ anecdote:
In 1837, three pioneers established the town of Oxford, Mississippi, and named it after the famous British university, in the hopes that it would develop as a seat of learning in the southwest. It did, as four years later the Mississippi legislature selected Oxford as the site for the state University, which is still there.
Victoria Barracks, located in Oxford Street in the inner-Sydney suburb of Paddington, were constructed in sandstone by convict labour between 1841 and 1846.
Barracks Street, the last street at the end of the French Quarter, is one of the few features in the Vieux Carre that does not lend itself to the French history of the quarter. Barracks street is unnamed on early maps of New Orleans, and did not become Barracks Street until the last decade of the 19th centenary. The street just above it, Governor Nicholls Street, was named about the same time for Francis T. Nicholls, who served as Louisiana governor until 1892.
Sir Ninian Stephen, KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, PC, QC was Governor-General of Australia between July 1982 and February 1989.
He has the unusual distinction of holding five separate knighthoods:
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE);
- Knight of the Order of Australia (AK);
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG);
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO);
- Knight of the Garter (KG).
He is also a Commander of the French Légion d’honneur.
Nine Louisiana parishes are named for Saints, but only eight of them are recognized by any church. St. Tammany is an honorific that was bestowed on Delaware Chief Tamanend, who was so respected (by George Washington and others) that his honor throughout the 18th century rose to that of “The Patron Saint of America”. New York’s Tammany Hall is also named for him.
The southernmost church in the world is a permanent Catholic chapel made of ice at the Argentinian Belgrano II Antarctic base.
The northernmost cathedral church in Canada is St Jude’s Anglican cathedral in Iqaluit, Nunavut. It is shaped in the form of an igloo.
The northernmost point of Victoria is at the same latitude as the southern suburbs of Sydney.
Sumas, Washington, is the northernmost incorporated place in the lower 48 states of the USA, and that because of a surveying error. We visited there, last year (passing through).
The lower house of the NSW Parliament is called the Legislative Assembly. The upper house is the Legislative Council.
The next state election will be held in March 2015.