| Friday, October 9, 2009 |
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| Washington Landmarks |
Answer of the DayHow many commemorative stones line the stairwell of the Washington Monument? The Washington Monument was opened to the public on this date in 1888. The stone obelisk in the center of the Washington Mall was built as a memorial to George Washington, the first President of the United States. Each state, some foreign governments and private individuals donated 193 commemorative stones, or "tribute blocks" carrying inscriptions, which were placed on the internal walls of the monument. At a height of some 555 ft. (169 m.), the monument was the world's tallest structure until the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889. Visitors used to be able to climb the 897 steps to the top of the monument; nowadays, only walking-down tours are available. To get to the top, guests must take the 70-second elevator ride.
Quote"I see his monument is still there."
Word of the daypunnet
Punnet is a term used in Britain, Australia and New Zealand to describe a small basket for displaying and collecting fruits or flowers. Farmers' markets sometimes sell fruits and berries in plastic punnets. Decorative punnets are often made of felt and seen in flower and craft arrangements.
In recent years, the plastic punnet is being replaced by the molded fibre and microflute products so as to encourage the use of renewable resources.
George Bernard Shaw pithily observed, "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." For the next fortnight, we'll examine words that are current in the UK but may be unfamiliar to the average American.
Today's History
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| Yale University |
- Roger Williams: religious dissident who espoused a separation of church and state was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony; he went on to found Rhode Island (1635)
- Yale University: was founded in New Haven, as The Collegiate School of Connecticut (1701)
- Laura Ingalls: became the first woman to fly solo across the US, from New York to California (1930)
Today's Birthdays
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| John Lennon |
- Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935): French captain wrongly accused of treason in the Dreyfus Affair
- John Lennon (1940-1980): Beatle, activist, singer of "Imagine"; other musicians born on this date include Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), John Entwistle (1944-2002), Jackson Browne (61), Kenny Garrett (49), P.J. Harvey (40) and Sean Lennon (33)
- Tony Shalhoub (56): Emmy-winning actor, Monk; also, actors Fyvush Finkel (87), Richard Chaves and Robert Wuhl (both 58), Sharon Osbourne (57), Scott Bakula and John O'Hurley (both 55), Steve Burns (36), Brandon Routh (30), Zachery Ty Bryan (28) and Tyler James Williams (17)
- Mike Singletary (51): NFL hall-of-famer; golfing legend Annika Sorenstam (39) shares this birth date
