Category Archives: Structures, History and Countries

Golden Gate Bridge

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Golden Gate Bridge

Not gold, not a gate, but a bridge.

  • Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge that is located over Golden Gate Strait between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in California, United States, and is  painted a colour known as ‘orange vermilion’ that has been nicknamed ‘International orange’, a colour that can be easily seen on foggy days.
  • Golden Gate Bridge was a replacement of the ferry that transported vehicles across the Golden Gate Strait for $1.
  • On average, more than 110,000 vehicles travel across the Golden Gate Bridge every day, and it has an electronic toll system that currently charges $5 to $42 depending on the vehicle.
  • The Golden Gate Bridge’s main designer was Joseph Strauss, an engineer who had designed other bridges at the time.
  • Golden Gate Bridge measures 2.7 km (1.7 miles) in length, has an above water height of 227.4 meters (746 feet), and 27.4 meters (90 feet) in width, has a clearance of 67.1 m (220 ft) for water traffic, and its main span length is 1,280 metres (4,200 feet) which was the longest span in the world for 27 years.

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Golden Gate Bridge
Image courtesy of Porbital/ Free Digital Photos
  • At the time, Golden Gate Bridge cost $35 million to build, financed in bonds, but to make the bridge now it would cost over$1.2 billion.
  • Construction of Golden Gate Bridge commenced on the 5 January, 1933 and the opening was on 27 May, 1937, with its first vehicles crossing on 28 May, 1937.
  • A net was mounted under the bridge during construction to prevent the death of workers, which it did fairly effectively, saving 19 men, out of 30, and the survivors were known as the “Halfway-to-Hell Club”.
  • Golden Gate Bridge is said to be the second most popular site in the world for suicides, with more than 1,200 people having jumped to their death, and a current average of one suicide every two weeks, although there has been no physical barrier installed to prevent suicides, even though it is been debated numerous times.
  • Golden Gate Bridge has been closed three times all in December and all due to high wind speeds of 111 to 121km/hour (69 to 75 miles/hour) in 1951, 1982 and 1983, although the bridge has been closed for short hours for maintenance and other purposes.
Bibliography: Bridge, 2012, Golden Gate Bridge, <http://goldengate.org/>
Golden Gate Bridge, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge>

Moai Statues

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Moai Statues

Nearly a thousand of them!

  • The Moai statues are located on Easter Island, or ‘Rapa Nui’ as the indigenous call it, a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, governed by Chile.
  • The Moai statues are also known as ‘moai’, ‘Easter Island heads’ and ‘Easter Island statues’, and are believed to have been carved between 1250 to 1500 AD.
  • The Moai statues, many of which are partly buried, have large heads and bodies with sharp noses and chins, and nearly all are carved from volcanic stone called ‘tuff’.
  • There are 887 known Moai statues, the tallest being 21 meters (72 feet) high, weighing over 160 tonnes (176 tons), and the average height is 4 metres (13.2 feet).
  • The Moai statues were made by the natives that lived on Easter Island, the Rapa Nui people, in a quarry on the island that still contains numerous tools made of stone, as well as 45% of the Moai statues, many of which remain incomplete.

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Moai Statues
Image courtesy of Emil Eklund/Flickr 
  • It is believed that the native people created the Moai statues in honour of significant male ancestors, and most of the Moai statues face the original clan settlements and so it is suggested, that the Moai statues were protectors of the clans and ceremonial areas.
  • There have been many theories to suggest how the Moai statues were moved from the quarry to their existing location, however, the most likely scenario is that they were ‘walked’ into place by the use of ropes with the statue leaning slightly forward and the use of a rocking motion from side to side, which required approximately 18 people.
  • Ten full Moai statues have been transported to other parts of the world and can be seen in museums.
  • The Moai statues are part of the Rapa Nui National Park, which was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
  • The preservation of the Moai statues proves to be difficult due to the nature of their original material, and is not helped by people who can’t keep their hands and bodies away, as can be seen in the case when the ear of a Moai statue was chipped off by a thieving tourist from Finland in 2008, who was then fined $17,000 and incurred banishment from Easter Island for three years.
Bibliography:
Moai, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moai>
Stone Giants, 2000, NOVA, <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/civilization/giants.html>

White House

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White House

A very white house.

  • The White House is the home of the United States president in office and his family, in addition to being the work place of the president and his staff, and has been the home of all the presidents, since the second president and its first occupants, John Adams and his wife.
  • The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, United States and sits on over 18 acres (7.3 hectares) of land, and the site was chosen by the first president, George Washington.
  • The White House was designed by Irish architect James Hoban, and building started in 1792 and was not fully completed until the early 1800s, after President John Adams had already moved in.
  • The White House is a neoclassical style mansion that was inspired by the Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland and looks very similar to parts of the Château de Rastignac in France.
  • During its history, the White House has been called the ‘President’s House’, ‘President’s Palace’ and the ‘Executive Mansion’ and was called ‘White House’ by the public due to its white painted stone exterior, which US President Theodore Roosevelt made official, by using the name on his stationery in 1901.

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White House
Image courtesy of Damian Brandon/ Free Digital Photos
  • The White House has had numerous renovations during its time, including a major rebuild when the inside was destroyed by fire in 1814, by the British in the ‘War 0f 1812’.
  • The White House has generally been open to the public in one way or another since it was built, and has included self-guided tours attracting nearly 2 million visitors a year, until budget cuts closed the popular tourist destination in March 2013.
  • The White House has taken significant security measures to protect its occupants, which has included the closure and redesign of a portion of Pennsylvania Avenue and other streets surrounding the building, which has been closed to vehicles since the Oklahoma bombing in 1995, and at other times of potential threat, has been temporarily closed to pedestrians.
  • The White House contains 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 stairs, 3 lifts, 412 doors, 6 levels and 2 wings, a bowling alley and a 42 seat movie theatre, and the grounds contain a swimming pool, a number of gardens, tennis court, basketball court and a putting green.
  • The White House is featured on the back of the US $20 note.
Bibliography:
Inside the White House, n.d., The White House, <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house>
White House, 2013, Wikipedia, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House>

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

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Saint Basil’s Cathedral

Gazing… pretty.

  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has many names, including, but not limited to, ‘Cathedral of Saint Vasily the Blessed’, ‘Protecting Veil of the Mother of God’, ‘Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat’, ‘Church of Intercession of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat’, ‘Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat’ and ‘Pokrovsky Cathedral’.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is found in the city square known as Red Square in Moscow, the capital of Russia.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is a group of nine churches or chapels, that sit on one foundation, and were built from 1555 to 1561.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral was believed to be the work of Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, and was ordered to be built by Ivan the Terrible (Tsar Ivan IV) who was Tsar of All the Russias and Moscow’s prince and ruler at the time.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible’s conquest of Kazan in 1552, which happened during the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin, hence one of its alternate names.

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Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Image courtesy of Jose Calatayud/Flickr
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is part of the Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site which was listed in 1990.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has many brightly coloured onion shaped domes that have many traditional red, white and gold colours as well as many other colours of the rainbow.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral’s structure is made of a traditional white stone foundation, and red bricks walls that contain wooden framework.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has seen much renovation and restoration over the centuries, which includes major restoration by Ivan Michurin after a fire damaged the building in 1737.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral contains much symbolism and is said to have represented the Jerusalem temple, although the centre of Saint Basil’s Cathedral is now a museum and is open to public.
Bibliography:
Kubilius, K 2013, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, About.com, <http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/moscowtravel/p/stbasils.htm>
Saint Basil’s Cathedral, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil’s_Cathedral>

Tower Bridge

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Tower Bridge

Bridge of two towers.

  • The Tower Bridge is located in London, England and provides a major crossing of the River Thames.
  • The Tower Bridge is a suspension and bascule (meaning see-saw and balance) drawbridge and on average, it opens 1000 times a year, with 24 hours notice being required in writing if you wish to pass under the bridge with a vessel of 9.1 m (30 ft) or greater in height.
  • Originally the Tower Bridge was a greenish- blue colour, and at some stage it was painted brown, then in 1977 its new colour scheme became white, red and blue to celebrate Queen Elizebeth II’s Silver Jubilee Year.
  • The Tower Bridge is 244 meters (800 feet) in length, and the two towers, which are 65 meters (213 feet) high, are connected by two horizontal pedestrian walkways which were closed from 1910-1982 due to lack of use, and now house part of an ongoing exhibition about the bridge and its history and construction.
  • The motorway A100 Tower Bridge Road travels along the Tower Bridge, and on average, over 40,000 people cross the Tower Bridge daily.

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Tower Bridge
Image courtesy of Vichaya Kaitying-Angsulee/ Free Digital Photos
  • Construction on the Tower Bridge commenced in 1886, and continued for 8 years with 432 workers and only 10 fatalities, and was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 30th June, 1894.
  • Over 63,500 tonnes (70,000 tons) of concrete were used for the supports, or the piers, for the towers, and over 10,000 tonnes (11,ooo tons) of steel were used to make the steel frames of the Tower Bridge.
  • At the time, the cost of the Tower Bridge construction was £1,184,000 which is now equivalent to nearly US$152 million (£100 million).
  • The Tower Bridge has used an electric and oil driven hydraulic system to raise the bascules since 1976, although it originally used two steam powered engines, with an extra one added in World War II, for backup.
  • A number of accidents and incidents have occurred in association with the Tower Bridge, which have included planes and road vehicles, and includes a near miss for a bus carrying 20 passengers, when the bascules were opening one evening in 1952.
Bibliography:
Tower Bridge, 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge>

Hollywood

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Hollywood

World of film.

  • Hollywood is a suburb located in Los Angeles, California, United States and is also known as ‘Tinseltown’.
  • Hollywood is  famous for being the home of many celebrities and film studios, although much of the film industry has now been scattered throughout the region.
  • The name ‘Hollywood’ was named by land developer, Hobart Johnstone Whitley and his wife, whilst they were honeymooning in 1886, who is known as the “Father of Hollywood”.
  • As of 2012, Hollywood is a multicultural suburb, with a population of between 180,000 and 200,000 people, with nearly 50% of those born in a foreign country.
  • Hollywood was originally known as Cahuenga Valley to the agricultural community that lived in the area in the mid to late 19th century, and by 1900 the area had a post office, hotel, and a newspaper.

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Hollywood
Image courtesy of J Voves/Flickr
  • David Wark Griffith was the first person to make a film in Hollywood, a short film released in 1910, and the first studio in Hollywood was the Nestor Studio, which was established in 1911.
  • Hollywood has seven primary schools, two middle schools and three high schools.
  • The first Academy Awards in 1929, or Oscars as they are now known, were celebrated and presented in Hollywood at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and since then they have changed venues numerous times, but are now held annually in Hollywood.
  • Many famous landmarks are in Hollywood such as the Hollywood sign which is found on Mt Lee, the highest point in Los Angeles, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where over 2300 celebrity names can be found.
  • At one point, Hollywood was the home of nearly all of the Los Angeles radio stations, although most of them have now moved to different areas.
Bibliography:
Hollywood, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood>
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