Did You Know...? The first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel was 63-year-old Annie Edson Taylor (1901). The Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Course is North America’s oldest operating course (c. 1875). On summer days, the U.S. and Canada divert half Niagara’s water for electricity, but divert three-quarters when tourists
Did You Know? North America’s oldest European settlement was located in Newfoundland’s L’Anse aux Meadows The province, harboring more English dialects than England does, has its own dictionary. Newfoundland’s Cape Spear is the easternmost point in North America. Labrador has the world’s largest free-roaming caribou population (more than 500,000). The
Did You Know...? Most early New Brunswick settlers were American colonists who remained loyal to England. More than 12 whale species are attracted to the nutrient-rich Bay of Fundy. The U.S. and New Brunswick nearly warred over the Maine border in 1839. French is the first language for about one-third
Did You Know? The Maya built their pyramids and palaces without metal tools, pack animals or the wheel. Buildings on the Riviera Maya cannot be more than three stories tall. Whale sharks, up to 40 feet long, are the world’s largest fish. Tulum is the only known Mayan site right
Did You Know...? Winnie the Pooh’s name is short for Winnipeg. Piney is home to the only bi-national airport. The province has more than a hundred Indian reservations. Winnipeg was the world’s first city to establish the 911 emergency phone number. Manitoba produces more than 25,000 pounds of golden caviar
Did You Know? Joan of Arc’s greatest victory over the English in the 100 Years War occurred in Orleans (1429). The largest chateau, Chambord, has 440 rooms and 365 fireplaces. When Leonardo da Vinci came to the French court (1516), he brought the “Mona Lisa.” The valley’s Maison Cointreau produces
Did You Know...? Loch Lomond is Britain’s largest inland body of fresh water (27 square miles). Loch Katrine inspired Sir Walter Scott’s poem, “The Lady of the Lake.” Robert Louis Stevenson's “Kidnapped” was set in the Trossachs. The famous outlaw Rob Roy hid out in the dense forests of the
Did You Know ... ? Thomas Edison’s movie studio shot the 1902 “Moonlight on Lake Maggiore” at the lake. Mussolini and his mistress were captured and killed in 1945 on the shores of Lake Como. Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake, with a surface of 143 square miles. Giuseppe Verdi
Did You Know ... ? Only one lake in the district is called a lake: Bassenthwaite Lake; all others use the words water or mere. The first pencils were made in the Lake District after graphite was found locally around 1500. Lawyers and politicians are banned from entering Cumbria’s annual
Did You Know ... ? Lake Arenal's dam produces 35% of Costa Rica's electric energy. The now-quiescent Arenal volcano began erupting regularly in 1968 after a 400-year hiatus. Arenal (the town) was relocated because the original site was flooded by the Arenal Dam. Costa Rica has 112 volcanoes, of which
