Approximately 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868, but they were a small minority of the immigrants during that period. In addition to convicted criminals the UK also paid for the transport of paupers and veterans who chose to relocate to Australia, though by far most groups who immigrated did so freely and at their own expense or as indentured servants. Immigration exploded after the discovery of gold in 1851 with immigrants from many other European nations and from China joining the rush.
Before 1851, the government of New South Wales suppressed the news of gold finds because they thought they would detract from the labor force and destabilize the economy. When gold was discovered in California in 1848, many Australians left for California. The NSW government rethought its stance and when gold was found near Orange NSW in 1851, the news was not suppressed.
The United States Bullion Depository, often known as Fort Knox, is a fortified vault building located within the United States Army post of Fort Knox, Kentucky, used to store a large portion of United States official gold reserves. It is estimated to have roughly 2.3 percent of all the gold ever refined throughout human history.
Fort Knox currently holds 147.3 million ounces of gold. According to usmint.gov. According to goldprice.org, gold is $1,239.20 an ounce. So, $182,534,160,000.00. Give or take.
Gold boils at 5173F (that is really hot). The color of gold vapor is purplish.
The Grasberg Mine is the largest gold mine in the world. It is located in the province of Papua in Indonesia near Puncak Jaya, the island’s highest mountain, and it has 19,500 employees.
The Grasberg mine has been a frequent source of friction in Papua, caused by the mine’s negative environmental impact, and the low share of profits going to local Papuans.
The thoroughbred racehorse named Mine That Bird won the 2009 Kentucy Derby as a long shot at 50:1 odds. Mine That Bird was sired by Birdstone, and his dam was Mining My Own. The great grand dam of Mining My Own, on her sire’s and grandsire’s side was a horse named Gold Digger.
Rose Bird, Chief Justice of California, was removed from office by the electorate in 1986, largely due to her opposition to the death penalty.
In June of 1795 when the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay, resigned, President George Washington appointed John Rutledge as Jay’s replacement. The Senate was not in session, so Washington’s recess appomtment took effect immediately. Rutledge took some controversial stances, and when it came time for his nomination he had lost much support. He failed his appintment. Rutledge served for only 181 days as Chief Justice, the shortest term by far of the 17 Chief Justices to date.
The state of Washington leads the US, with 63% of all stiffs being cremated. Tennessee is last, with just 3%.
The town of Dresden, located in the U.S. state of Ohio (not the german city) is home to the world’s largest basket. It is located at Basket Village USA.
Rocko the Great Dane is 40 inches on all fours and nearly seven feet tall on his hind legs. The 2-year-old giganto-dog from Sparks, Nevada may well be the largest dog in the world.
The Great Dane breed originated in Germany and was originally referred to as a German boarhound.
Great Dane truck trailers are made by Great Dane Limited Partnership, which was previously Checker Motors Corp. of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the now-defunct manufacturer of once-iconic boxy taxicabs.
One of the most famous Danes in literature is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The plot of revenge and feigned madness at a royal court is based on the writing of 13th century Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus.
Nm, ninja.
Sophie Brahe, also known as Sophia Thott, was a Danish horticulturalist and student of astronomy, chemistry, and medicine, best known for assisting her brother Tycho Brahe with his astronomical observations. Tycho trained her in horticulture and chemistry, but not astronomy. Sophie learned astronomy on her own, studying books in German, and having Latin books translated with her own money so that she could also study them. Tycho and Sophie were united by their work in science, and by their family’s opposition to science as an appropriate activity for members of the aristocracy. Tycho referred with admiration to her ‘animus invictus’, her “determined mind.”
Augustus Sol Invictus is an attorney and United States Senate candidate in the 2016 Florida election, running as a Libertarian. He is a follower of Thelema and a former member of the Ordo Templi Orientis. He changed his name to Augustus Sol Invictus and started a law firm called Imperium Law. In 2013 he renounced the firm, Roman Catholicism, and his law degree, and walked from Florida to the Mojave Desert. In a ritual of thanks for his survival, he sacrificed a goat and drank its blood. He denies the party chairman’s allegations that he “sadistically dismember[ed]” the goat.
Augustus Sol Invictus changed his name from the original, Austin Gillespie.
Texas icon Stephen F. Austin was only 43 when he died in 1836. He didn’t die at the Alamo, which fell earlier that year. He died of pneumonia. His last words were, “The independence of Texas is recognized! Don’t you see it in the papers?..”