Thursday, March 1, 2007

 

Spotlight: Yellowstone National Park, the world's oldest national park, was established 135 years ago today. Located mostly in Wyoming, and spilling into Montana on the north and Idaho on the west, the park is noted for its thermal features, which include geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles. Old Faithful, one of the world's most famous geysers, erupts for 1-5 minutes every 65-90 minutes. There is a wealth of wildlife in the park, including antelope, elk, bison, moose and grizzlies. Some two million visitors tour the park each year — hiking, fishing, biking and camping.

Quote: "Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong." — George Carlin

Today's News:

• homelessness: study finds three quarters of a million people living on the streets in the US (story)
• Al Gore: defends himself against charges of green hypocrisy (story)
• Prince Charles: says ban on McDonald's will improve public health (story)
• Picasso: 2 paintings worth $66 million stolen in Paris (story)
• Daniel Radcliffe: Potter star proves popular in Equus (story)
• Star Trek: 11th film due out Christmas 2008 (story)

Today's History:

• Ohio and Nebraska: the Buckeye State became No. 17 (1803); the Cornhusker State became No. 37 (1867)
• Lindbergh kidnapping: Lucky Lindy's child was abducted, leading to the Lindbergh Act (1932)
• Peace Corps: JFK established agency to "promote world peace and friendship" (1961)

Today's Birthdays:

• Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849): romantic composer for piano
• Ralph Ellison (1914-1994): author of Invisible Man
• Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995): former Israeli prime minister
• Harry Belafonte (80): singer, actor and civil rights activist who was dubbed "the king of calypso"
• Ron Howard (53): actor, director, producer