Did You Know? The Pacific Northwest’s old growth forests produce three times the biomass of tropical rain forests. Olympic National Park, created in part to protect elk, was nearly named Elk National Park. Two dams on the Elwha River will be removed in a $300 million ecosystem restoration project.
Did You Know? The fried clam was invented in Essex in 1916. Gloucester is America's oldest working seaport (1623). Rockport’s Paper House was created from newspapers, originally as the builder’s hobby. More than 4,000 schooners were constructed in Essex. Manchester-by-the-Sea added words to its name to distinguish itself from
Did You Know...? Ontario has about 250 ghost towns, way more than any other province or U.S. state. At the time of the War of 1812, more than half Ontario’s residents were American transplants. The province counts about 250,000 lakes, one-third of the world’s fresh water. The Dionne sisters, born
Did You Know...? The Yukon River Quest is the world’s longest annual canoe and kayak race (460 miles). Simple hand mining yielded $22,275,000 in Yukon gold in 1900 alone. Diamond Tooth Gerties is Canada’s northernmost legal casino. About two-thirds of the territory's people live in Whitehorse, the capital. The Yukon
Did You Know...? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police trains recruits in Regina. The province produces more than half of Canada’s wheat. Estevan averages 2,540 sun-filled hours a year, more than any other Canadian town. Saskatchewan’s official sport is curling. The original name for Regina, the capital, was Pile o’ Bones.
Did You Know...? Rostock University is the oldest university in northern Europe (1419). Lubeck was one of the cofounders, with Hamburg, of the Hanseatic League in 1241. The UNESCO-listed Wismar is at the southernmost point on the Baltic coast. Heiligendamm, on the Baltic, is Germany’s oldest seaside resort (1793). The
Did You Know...? Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist temple. The Indonesian population encompasses some 365 ethnic and tribal groups. Bahasa Indonesia is the official language but the people also speak 583 dialects. More than 25% of the world’s fish species (4,000) are in Indonesian waters. There are 61 volcanoes
Did You Know...? Danish Vikings were kings of England before William the Conqueror ever saw the place. Ribe is Scandinavia’s oldest town, dating from 710. Havarti cheese is named for the farm where it was created in the 19th century. Originally, the word Viking referred to pirates or adventurous seafarers,
Did You Know...? German cities and towns stage about 2,500 Christmas markets. Although noted as beer lovers, Germans now spend more on wine than beer each year. The Baedeker guidebooks were created in Koblenz in 1827 to end the need for tour guides. Bratwurst, frankfurters, sauerbraten and sauerkraut were created
Did You Know? The Parthenon’s horizontal lines — stair steps, beams and roof — are curved in a slight dome shape. The eternal flame of Altis, at Olympia, is the source of the flaming torch carried to the current Olympics. Statues on ancient Greek buildings were typically painted with bright
