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Did You Know... |
There is always something interesting out there and I want to share some of that "stuff" with you. And you can share with me, I mean "us", too. |
Did you know about the Amber Room? I just finished reading an adult fiction book about an Amber Room that people were looking for. I didn't enjoy the book but I was curious about this room...so I looked it up and here's what I found out. Amber is a gem that is the dried resin from prehistoric trees--supposedly made famous by the film, Jurassic Park. The Amber Room, measuring 11' x 11', was first built in 1701 for Frederick I of Prussia for his Royal Palace in Berlin, Germany at a value of $142 million in today's dollars. Russian Czar Peter the Great admired the room when he visited Berlin and Frederick's heir and son, having no interest in the room, gave the room to Peter, even though it was not yet complete in 1717. In Russia, artisans could not put the room back together and it remained in crates until the 1740's. After several attempts the room was moved to different locations and finally completely restored by Catherine the Great where it remained in Tsarskoje Selo until 1944 during World War II. German Nazi soldiers found the room, crated the fine panels to take the treasure back to Germany. However, the shipment was lost or destroyed, never to be found again. |
There are different theories as to what happened to those 27 crates. One is that the crates were hidden in a silver mine or perhaps sunk in a ship in a lagoon. Other theories are that Russian Red Army soldiers destroyed the Amber Room or that the crates made it to the Konigsberg Castle but were destroyed during an air-raid. The Russian and German governments cooperated in a reconstruction of the Amber Room in the 1980's at the cost of $8 million. Proclaimed as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the room is now on display. If anyone goes to Russia, put the Amber Room on your list of things to see and send me a postcard--or a scrap piece of amber. |
Finally, the real answer to the question to "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? " The answer is: THE DINOSAUR! In 1868 a British palaeontologist, Thomas Hurley, presented a theory showing that birds are descended from dinoaurs because they both have the same ankle joint, feet with a rear-pointing toes, the same build such as short torsos, stable hips, long flexible necks, hips, hollow bones. This theory was discounted but other ideas emerged that dinosaurs were warm-blooded like birds and not cold-blooded like reptiles. Dinosaurs have been found that appear to have had feathers thought to be for warmth and then flying. They laid eggs like birds. In April 2007, news broke that chickens really are related to dinosaurs. Scientiests tested soft tissue recovered from inside the leg bone of a 68-million-year-old T-rex and found "protein" similar to that of the modern-day chicken. Can you imagine having T-rex for dinner and it tasting like chicken. I don't know but I envisiondinosaur being very tough and very freezer-burned! In looking around for the skinny, I found there are two books available that might be fun, Make Dinosaurs from Chicken Bones and T-Rex to Go: Build Your Own from Chicken Bones both by Chris McGowan. |
Seven New Wonders of World Announced |
Old Wonders of the (Ancient) World |
An organization, New7Wonders Foundation, sponsored a "contest" to name new wonders of the world to represent global heritage throughout history. Originally, 71 sites were suggested, the Statue of Liberty being one. Over 100 million people from around the world cast their votes to pick the seven from a list of 21. The announcement of the new list was made July 7, 2007. They are: |
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (from left to right, top to bottom): Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum of Maussollos, Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria as depicted by 16th-century Dutch artist Marten Heemskerk |
The New7Wonders is accepting nominations for New Wonders of Nature until 8/8/08. Anyone can participate in nominating and voting. A committee will compile a list of 21 sites from which we can vote for seven wonders of nature. Read about it at their site, New7Wonders of Nature. If you do participate or have thoughts about great places of nature, let us know. ***** |
Mother Goose Parade 61st Annual Parade November 18,2007 El Cajon, CA |
The Mother Goose Society promotes Mother Goose Day on May 1 |
Mother Goose |
I didn't realize that Mother Goose had such a following! There are different opinions where, when or how nursery rhymes got their start. Check this two websites for more information. Go to my Mother Goose page for a list of nursery rhyme books, plus instructions and verses for your very own Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes book. |
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The World Loves Knut! Knut was born at Germany's Berlin Zoo on December 5, 2006. His mother abandoned him and his brother who died. Knut celebrated his first birthday with much fanfare, weighing in at around 240 pounds. There was newspaper coverage and lots of visitors at the zoo. Great controversary surrounded this baby when animal activists declared he should be killed. Their theory is that he would not have survived in the wild under the same circumstances. However, with the support of hundreds of German children, the zoo officials decided to raise the cub. A human father moved into his cage to feed him, sleep with him and play with him. The zoo handlers feel justified in saving Knut because polar bears are under the threat of extinction. Visit the Coca-Cola Company website to see how the company is sponsoring support of polar bears and their habitat. |
Plush polar bears, dressed in cute outfits and not, are available everywhere. |
Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World by Craig Hatkoff and other co-authors There also is a board book about Knut by Juliana Hatkoff |
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I just finished reading a book about the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia battle in 1862 during the Civil War and I just had to learn more about the event. The USS Monitor The USS Monitor was designed by a Swedish engineer, John Ericsson, and was often called Ericsson's Folly because no one had ever sailed on such a ship before and many doubted it would even float. The ship was made of iron and weighed 987 ton and most of it rode under the waterline. There was 80 tons of coal onboard to keep the ship running for about a week. The Monitor was commissioned on February 25, 1862, and fought in one important battle against the CSS Virginia. Both sides claimed victory during this battle, while both accomplished their missions. The Monitor was lost during a storm on December 31, 1862, about 26 miles from North Carolina. Check out this website for more information and pictures: USS Monitor The CSS Virginia In 1861, the Norfolk Navy Yard was abandoned by the Federal government and when Virginians took possession of the Yard, they found the burned and sunk USS Merrimack. While the steam frigate was extremely damaged, the Confederates found it was salvagable. It was converted to an ironclad ship outfitted with a iron ram, ten big guns and other armament which caused very effective damage to enemy ships. In mid-February 1862, the ship was commissioned as CSS Virginia but is still called the Merrimac, a derivative of Merrimack. The Virginia caused heavy damage to two Union wooden ships, USS Cumberland and USS Congress. When the ship returned the next day to finish off the USS Minnesota, the Monitor was laying in wait. This battle made history and laid the foundation of the direction of future Navy ships. When the Virginia could not move up the James River because the ship was too deep and too heavy, plus the fact that the Confederates had abandoned their position on land, the crew destroyed the ship on May 11, 1862, just six miles from the famous encounter with the Monitor. Check out this website for more information and pictures: CSS Virginia If you are interested in the sea, ships, fish, check out this website: Mariner's Museum At the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, VA is a USS Monitor exhibit of salvaged parts such as the turret, equipment and treasures like silverware, glass bottles, lamps, letters written by a crew member, etc. After the discovery of the sunken Monitor in 1973 and much study and effort since then, the Mariner's Museum has developed a Sanctuary for the public which opened March 9, 2007. You can experience the battle, walk a full scale of the Monitor, see wooden sailing ships, view the James River, as well as hike in the 550-acre park. What a vacation idea! Check it out: Monitor National Marine Sanctuary ***** |
was so impressed with a guest on a recent Oprah's show that I knew that I needed to know more about his mission in life. In 1998 John Wood was a top executive with Microsoft and making lots of money when he decided it was time to take a vacation. He traveled to Nepal for a hiking experience when he was invited to visit a local school where Wood was shocked at the poverty, the lack of books, the condition of the school. He promised he would return with help and books and he really did it! He came up with a plan and 3,000 books that were hauled in by several pack animals. Since then, his organization, Room to Read, has established over 3,800 libraries, donated over 3 milliion books and funded over 3,400 scholarships for girls, bringing hope to over 1.3 millions children in several improvished countries. Wood wrote a book, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, about his life-changing experience that you might want to read. Visit the website for more information about the organization's efforts. You can also find out how you can become involved. There is a children's operation, Students Helping Students, where students can help other students with read-a-thons or other fundraising projects. Room to Read |
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