There was a bill in Congress once to declare Lake Champlain to be one of the Great Lakes. The real intent was to make the University of Vermont eligible for Sea Grant programs, like any other state university on a coastal or Great Lakes state, and it was passed that way instead.
The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) was a European conflict of the early 18th century, triggered by the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700. His closest heirs were members of the Austrian Habsburg and French Bourbon families; acquisition of an undivided Spanish Empire by either threatened the European balance of power.
Czechs are the world’s most prolific beer drinkers, at least according to a Japanese beverage company that keeps track of these things; the Czechs lead the world every year.
Akihito, Emperor of Japan, is not constitutionally designated as head of state, but functions in that capacity to all intents and purposes. Akihito is now the only public official with the title Emperor in the entire world.
I was searching for border crossings and border stations and that led me to the CBP site. Thanks, and thanks for pointing out the Hyder Road. It’s only 40 miles to Hyder from the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. Might be worth a small detour there if I take that highway.
The Japanese government announced in December 2017 that Akihito would abdicate on 30 April 2019. He will be 85, and in 2016 cited declining health as his reason for wanting to step down. He will be the first Japanese emperor in 200 years to abdicate; the last emperor was Emperor Kokaku in 1817.
Akihito is a direct descendant of Japan’s first emperor Jimmu, believed to have reigned around 660 BC. His elder son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will become the 126th emperor of the world’s oldest monarchy. He will also become Japan’s first emperor who was born after World War II.
In play: The American School For the Deaf, currently located 139 N Main St, West Hartford, is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the US. It was founded in 1817. When it opened, the original name of the school was: The Connecticut Asylum (at Hartford) for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons.
Comment: And it is 2 miles away from my high school. William H. Hall.
The huddle in football was reputedly invented by the team at Gallaudet University, an institution for the deaf in Washington, DC. The tactic hindered opponents’ ability to read their sign language. The Gallaudet Bison currently play in NCAA Division III.
Fossils and accounts from early travelers show that Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the U.S. where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. The Yellowstone herd is one of the few that remains genetically free of cattle genes.
A small herd of bison have lived in San Francisco since 1890, in a paddock in Golden Gate Park. By 1918, the Golden Gate Park Buffalo Paddock herd showcased 30 bison. The bison you see today at the paddock are actually descendants of 1984 birthday presents given to the mayor, Dianne Feinstein by her husband.
The Northeastern Americas were once home to the Eastern wood bison, larger than the plains bison of Western fame, with darker, almost black, wool, grizzled around the eyes and nose, and a small hump over the shoulders. The last wild herd was slaughtered over 200 years ago down in Pennsylvania (winter 1799-1800), and the last individuals were wiped out in West Virginia twenty-five years later.
Today, there are several bison farms in New York State. One of the larger ones is North Quarter Farm in Riverhead, Long Island, 75 miles from New York City, started with animals from South Dakota and now numbering 300+ animals.
The AWCC, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, successfully released 130 wood bison into the wild in 2015. They were flown in C-130s to Shageluk AK, some 50 miles NW of the village of Iditarod AK (gMap, Google Maps) and roughly halfway between Anchorage and Nome (which are about 800 miles apart), into the Innoko Valley. They are now roaming free — a species returned to Alaska after a 100-year absence.
In addition to bison, Alaska is home to some 5,000 muskox. Muskox were native to Alaska, but were wiped out by 1920. In 1930, 34 of them were brought to Alaska from Greenland, and there is now a restricted hunting season for them. I’m not sure I see the point, as they are easy to find and will not run from an enemy. Basically, hunters are shooting a wild cow.
In 1972, following President Nixon’s trip to China, the Chinese government sent two giant pandas as gifts. The two pandas, named Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, had been captured in the wild a year earlier. The pandas lived out their lives at the National Zoo, attracting millions of visitors each year.
In response, the United States government sent China a pair of musk oxen.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (been there) in Alberta is a cliff with a natural funnel-shaped formation on top, formerly used by the Blackfoot/Piegan Indians to obtain meat, leather, and other goods made from bison. The Indians would herd the bison over the cliff, then kill and butcher the ones who had broken legs in the fall. The name comes from the fate of a young brave who thought it would be fun to watch the jump from the bottom of the cliff.
A bison appears on the heraldic badge of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The bison who appears on the RCMP’s flag looks like he’s actually wearing the Crown of Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Wikipedia
The logo for the rock band Queen, which was created to resemble a heraldic coat of arms, was originally drawn by Freddie Mercury (who had a degree in Art and Graphic Design from Ealing Art College).
The logo bears a resemblance to the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, and incorporates the zodiac signs of all four band members: the two lions which flank the letter Q represent guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor (both Leos), the crab atop the Q represents bassist John Deacon (Cancer), and the two fairies below the lions represent singer Freddie Mercury (Virgo).
Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar, an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania; it was a British colony at that time. His family were Indian Parsis, followers of the Zorastrian religion whose ancestors migrated from Persia during the Muslim conquests in the 7th and 8th centuries.
Freddie Mercury had four extra teeth in the back of his mouth which pushed those at the front forward. He refused to have his teeth fixed, fearing it would affect his vocal ability.
(This was a fact that I either didn’t know or had forgotten, until I saw the movie Bohemian Rhapsody yesterday. I highly, highly recommend this show.)
