The name “chrysanthemum” is derived from the Greek words chrysos (gold) and anthemon (flower). In Japanese the flower’s name is “kiku” and it is used as a symbol of the imperial family, which has a chrysanthemum blossom crest as its flag.
Crest toothpaste was introduced in the US in 1953. It was developed by people from Indiana University. Colgate was the first toothpaste in a collapsible tube, introduced in 1896 in New York when it had previously been sold in glass jars since 1873.
Roman Glass jewelry, made from ancient glass discovered in archaeological excavation sites in Israel and other Mediterranean countries, usually features light aqua-blue glass fragments. The presence of sandy dunes and beaches made ancient Israel one of the largest glass producers of the Roman Empire, and the same sands helped preserve, shape and temper the glass used in jewelry pieces. Excavations of Roman sites in Israel often contain small shards of little value to archaeologists which are instead used by jewelers who set them into gold, silver or another metal.
The earliest iron-smelting bloomery discovered by archaeologists was built in the lands of Israel’s Sixth Tribe during the reign of King Solomon, if the usual Biblical chronology and geography is correct.
The Côte d’Azur, the French Riviera, is southeastern France’s Mediterranean coast, the roughly 250km of land between Marseille FR in the west and Ventimiglia IT in the east at the border between the two countries. It includes Monaco to the east.
The name Côte d’Azur was given to the coast by the writer Stéphen Liégeard in his book, La Côte d’azur, published in December 1887.
The term French Riviera is typical of English use. It was built by analogy with the term Italian Riviera, which extends east of the French Riviera (from Ventimiglia to La Spezia). As early as the 19th century, the British referred to the region as the Riviera or the French Riviera, usually referring to the eastern part of the coast, between Monaco and the Italian border. Originally, riviera is an Italian common name which means “coastline”.
ETA: ninja’d, added of land.
Two Nobel Prize winners, both British, each have half-brothers more famous than themselves.
Actor Ben Affleck’s brother is actor Casey Affleck. Casey Affleck’s wife is Summer Phoenix. Summer Phoenix is the sister of brothers River Phoenix and Joaquin Phoenix, and of Rain Phoenix and Liberty Phoenix.
Phoenix, Ariz is the only state capital with a population over 1,000,000.
Phoenix AZ is not only the capital of AZ, but is also AZ’s largest city. It is one of 18 such capital cities that are also the state’s largest city:
Phoenix AZ
Little Rock AR
Denver CO
Atlanta GA
Honolulu HI
Boise ID
Indianapolis IN
Des Moines IA
Boston MA
Jackson MI
Columbus OH
Oklahoma City OK
Providence RI
Columbia SC
Salt Lake City UT
Charleston WV
Cheyenne WY
For several years beginning in 2005, Baton Rouge was both the capital and largest city of Louisiana.
The longest bridge over water in the world is 24 miles long, in Louisiana. It is the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway.
errm Lansing is the capital of MI.
The Bridge Too Far, less than a quarter-mile long, crosses the Rhein at Arnhem, Netherlands. It (or rather its new instantiation since it was destroyed by Allied bombers two weeks after Operation Market Garden) was eventually renamed John Frostbrug to commemorate the British Airborne officer who kept the bridge closed for four days in September 1944 with only a small force.
On the 50th anniversary of V-E Day, the World Liberty Concert was held next to the John Frostbrug; this was … errm … the largest memorial concert ever held in the Netherlands.
ETA: Ninja’ed; adding “errm”
Errm, I think he meant Jackson Mississippi, but used the wrong state code.
Yes I meant MS not MI.
The town of Guilderland NY is about 10 miles west of Albany. Guilderland is named after Gelderland, the largest land area of the Netherlands’ 12 provinces. The capotal of Gelderland is Arnhem, a city located on both banks of the Nederrijn and the Sint-Jansbeek Rivers.
Evidence is lacking, but the word “Yankee” for American may derive from British troops’ use of “Janke”, Dutch for “Johnny”, to refer to the local residents of New York City and state. “Janke” may also have been a nickname for Dutch pirates of the Caribbean.
The Genesee River in New York state is one of the few rivers in the world that flows south to north.
The Nile, which flows south to north, is the longest river in the world if a river which feeds into Lake Victoria is included in the Nile’s total length.
The Willamette River in Oregon flows south to north. Beginning in the 1850s, steamboats began to ply the Willamette, despite the fact that they could not pass Willamette Falls. As a result, navigation on the Willamette River was divided into two stretches: the 27-mile lower stretch from Portland to Oregon City—which allowed connection with the rest of the Columbia River system—and the upper reach, which encompassed most of the Willamette’s length to Eugene.
Other rivers flowing south to north in the US are the Bighorn, Deschutes, Eel, Jordan, Mojave, Monongahela, New, Niagara, Oswego, Pend Oreille, Red, Saginaw, Saint Johns, Shennandoah, Wallkill, and the Youghiogheny.