| Wednesday, June 17, 2009 |
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| Iceland's Highest Mountain |
SpotlightThough its name doesn't suggest it, Iceland is one of the world's most active volcanic regions: about one-third of the world's lava flow has spewed from volcanoes in Iceland. Warmed by the North Atlantic Drift, the island's climate is fairly mild considering its latitude. Some more facts about Iceland: Its parliament, the Althing, is the world's oldest functioning legislative body. In 2007, the UN's Human Development Index ranked Iceland as the world's most developed country. It's ranked among the most egalitarian, literate and productive countries per capita. At one time a part of Norway and later Denmark, Iceland declared its full independence 65 years ago today, in 1944. Sveinn Björnsson was the new republic's first president.
Question of the DayHow was Iceland discovered?
Iceland's first known settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, sailed from his native Norway to Iceland and settled at what is now Reykjavík in 874. During the late 9th and early 10th centuries, the island was settled by other Norwegians fleeing the oppressive rule of their king and by smaller groups of Scottish and Irish emigrants. In 930, a central legislative and judicial assembly, the Althing, was established, and a uniform code of laws for the entire country was compiled. Christianity was introduced in 1000, but the memory of the old pagan religion was preserved in 12th and 13th-century Icelandic literature.
Many of the early settlers were great seafarers and continued their westward voyages of discovery and exploration from Iceland. Most famous of these were Eric the Red (Eiríkur Thorvaldsson), who discovered and settled in Greenland in 982, and his son Leif Ericsson (Leifur Eiríksson), who around the year 1000 discovered the North American continent, which he called Vinland ("wineland") because of the grapes he found there. Icelanders acknowledged the sovereignty of Haakon IV of Norway in a treaty of 1262.
Word of the daystaycation
A staycation (or stay-cation, or stacation) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high.
Common activities of a staycation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation...
Last week, on June 10, English was supposed to have passed the one-million-word mark, according to this story by the Global Language Monitor. The word neologism, or "new word," was coined at the start of the 19th century, making it a neologism at the time. This week let's take a look at some newer neologisms.
Today's History
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| The Taj Mahal |
- California: was claimed by Sir Francis Drake for England; he called it Nova Albion (1579)
- Taj Mahal: Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, died; her death inspired her husband to build a white domed mausoleum masterpiece (1631)
- Battle of Bunker Hill: first great battle of the Revolutionary War began (1775)
- Statue of Liberty: gift from France arrived in New York (1885)
Today's Birthdays
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| Greg Kinnear |
- John Robert Gregg (1867-1948): invntr/ shrt-hnd
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): composer of The Rite of Spring; composers Charles Gounod (1818-1893) and Sammy Fain (1902-1989) shared this birth date
- M. C. Escher (1898-1972): graphic artist with the brain-teasing prints
- Barry Manilow (66): singer of "Copacabana"
- Greg Kinnear (46): starred in Little Miss Sunshine and Baby Mama; other actors born on this date include Joe Piscopo (58), Mark Linn-Baker (55), Thomas Haden Church (48) and Jason Patric (43)
- Venus Williams (29): Olympic tennis champion; also, speed-skating champ Dan Jansen (44)
