Did You Know? Explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa was in Panama when he first saw the Pacific (1513). Writer Richard Halliburton swam the Panama Canal (1928), paying its lowest-ever toll (36 cents, based on his “tonnage”). More bird species — 900-plus — have been recorded in Panama than in the
Did You Know...? Telemark, a Norwegian county, gave its name to a ski technique. Norwegians may eat four meals a day, with some farm families eating five. There is evidence that skiing goes back at least 4,000 years in Norway. More than half of Norway’s land is above the timberline.
Did you know ... ? St. Patrick died in Northern Ireland on March 17, in the year 461. Amelia Earhart ended her historic solo Atlantic flight, in 1932, near Londonderry. Bushmills in County Antrim is the world’s oldest licensed distillery (from 1608). Londonderry is the only completely walled city in
Did You Know? The Nicaraguan address system does not use street names or house numbers. Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake where sharks live; they travel upriver from the Caribbean. Nicaragua’s Violeta Barrios Chamorro was the first elected female president in the Americas (1990-1997). The Bosawas Biosphere Reserve protects
Did you know ... ? New Zealanders invented bungee jumping, the jetboat, the Blokart and the Zorb. Wellington is the world’s southernmost capital city. New Zealand claims the world’s longest place name — 92 letters in the longest version. Traditional Maori tattoos are viewed as intellectual property; facial tattoos tell
Did You Know...? The Netherlands counts approximately 1,000 working windmills. The country has more bicycles than residents and twice as many bikes as cars. Amsterdam is built entirely on piles. Schipol Airport is more than 14 feet below sea level, having been built on a lake bed. The Dutch are
Did You Know ... ? The red, flat-topped cap called the fez was named for the city of Fez. “Casablanca,” which put Morocco on the map for many, was shot almost entirely in studios (1942). Mount Toubkal, at 13,665 feet, is North Africa’s highest point. The only U.S. National Historic
Did You Know ...? The Grimaldis have ruled Monaco since 1297, making theirs Europe’s longest-reigning dynasty. Monte-Carlo is named for Monaco’s 19th century Prince Charles III who opened the first casino. If Prince Albert II had had no male heir, Monaco would have become French. Monegasques don’t pay income taxes;
Did you know ... ? Mexico City’s bullring, seating about 55,000, is the world’s largest. Mexico produces about a sixth of the world’s silver, making it the biggest producer. More than 5 million Mexicans speak an Indian language, such as Maya. America uses these Mexican words: canyon, corral, desperado, rodeo
Did You Know? The Martinique city of Le Diamant named a downtown street Rue Obama; it extends 472 feet. Paul Gauguin painted several Martinique landscapes during a short stay on the island (1887). Napoleon I’s consort, Empress Josephine, as born in Martinique (1763). Mount Pelee’s 1902 eruption was the 20th
