Tag Archives: America

Delphinium

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Delphinium

The tall, tall delphiniums.

  • There are over 400 species of Delphiniums, which is a group of tall, perennial flowering plants.
  • Delphiniums are native to the North Hemisphere, and the mountainous African tropics.
  • Delphiniums are from the Rananculaceae family, which is the family of buttercups, and are a popular garden plant due to their height in the garden and their showy flowers.
  • ‘Delphiniums’ are also known as ‘larkspurs’, however, the name ‘larkspur, usually refers to plants in the Consolida genus which is closely related and are annuals, rather than perennials.
  • The name ‘delphinium’ is from the word meaning ‘dolphin’ in Latin, which originally came from the Greek , named due to the plant’s bud and spur that resembles the shape of a dolphin.

Delphinium, Flowers, white, Blue, Garden, mutliple, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The flowers of delphiniums, grow on tall spikes and range from purple, pink, red, yellow, and white in colour.
  • Delphiniums have small, black coloured seeds.
  • Most delphinium plants and seeds are poisonous to humans as well as to cattle, and ingestion can be fatal, and the plant can also cause irritation to the skin, although the plant has been used in medicine.
  • Delphiniums typically grow up to 2.1 metres (7 feet) in height, athough this depends on the species.
  • Historically, parts of delphinium plants have been used to create blue dyes and inks.
Bibliography:
Delphinium, 2013, National Garden Association, <http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2046>
Delphinium, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphinium>

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Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham Lincoln

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” – Abraham Lincoln.

  • Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer and politician born on 12 February, 1809 and was assassinated by an actor, John Wilkes Booth, on 15 April 1865.
  • Abraham Lincoln was the 16th United States President, during 1861 to 1865, being responsible for taking major action in the American Civil war, ending US slavery and improving the US economy.
  • Abraham Lincoln was self-educated and came from an uneducated family, and is commonly ranked the greatest United States president of all time.
  • In 1840, Abraham Lincoln was engaged to his future wife, Mary Todd, however they broke up and did not marry as planned in 1841, but later came back together eventually marrying in late 1842.
  • Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary had four children, although only one survived till adulthood, and the last descendant of Abraham died in 1985.

Abraham Lincoln, Print, Bank Note, Face, US, $5, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos

Lincoln
Image courtesy of Gualberto107/Free Digital Photos
  • A portrait of Abraham Lincoln can be seen on the American penny and $5 note, and he received a patent in 1849, for a boat floating device.
  • Abraham Lincoln has his face sculpted on Mount Rushmore, and has a memorial and a museum dedicated to him.
  • Abraham Lincoln was a well known wrestler in his younger age, and is said to have defeated nearly all of the 300 wrestlers he wrestled against, and he also served in war as a captain and a private during a three month period.
  • Abraham Lincoln was originally a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and later became the Illinois member for the US House of Representatives.
  • Lincoln’s assassins’ brother, Edwin Thomas Booth, saved Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, from a train accident, a few months before Lincoln was assassinated.
Bibliography:
Abraham Lincoln, 2013, Bio, <http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540>
Abraham Lincoln, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln>

 

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Petunia

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Petunia

Pretty petunias.

  • Petunias are ornamental plants that have showy flowers, that attract insects and hummingbirds.
  • There are 35 species in the Petunia genus and they are from the family Solanceae, which is the family of nightshades, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco and eggplants.
  • Petunias are commonly hybrid annuals, with many different sizes and forms and some will flower all year.
  • Petunias are native to South America and are best grown in tropical areas.
  • Petunias are available in two main types, ‘grandiflora’ and ‘multiflora’, with grandifloras having larger but fewer flowers, and mulitfloras having plentiful but smaller flowers, and millifloras are also available which are mini plants with mini flowers.

Petunia, Pink< Purple, Red, Violet, White, Group, Lots, Flower, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The word ‘Petunia’ is from a native South American word ‘petun’, the name for ‘tobacco, of which it is a close relative.
  • Petunia plants range from 15 cm (6 inches) up to 120 centimetres (4 ft) in height and are generally grown from seed.
  • Petunias flowers can be white, yellow, pink, purple, red and blue in colour, as well as bicolour, and can be used as cut flowers.
  • Petunia flowers can have flowers as large as 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter, and they have five lobed petals, with varieties including double flowers and ruffled petals.
  • Petunias can be grown in the garden or in pots, and prefer sunny conditions, and to keep them flowering, dead flowers should be removed regularly.

 

Bibliography:
Petunia, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petunia>
Plant Profile: Petunia, 2011, Gardening Australia, <http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866725.htm>

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Christ the Redeemer Statue

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Christ the Redeemer Statue

The statue of the amazing Christ the Redeemer.

  • Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ, in the art deco style, with his arms open symbolising peace, and is located on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the statue’s Portuguese name is ‘Cristo Redentor’.
  • Christ the Redeemer is believed to be the largest art deco statue and is the fifth largest Jesus statue on earth, seeing approximately 1 million visitors every year, and was deemed one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
  • Christ the Redeemer statue is 30 metres (98 feet) in height, standing on an 8 metre (26 feet) high podium, with arms spread 28 metres (92 feet) wide.
  • The material used to make Christ the Redeemer statue was 635 tonnes (700 tons) of concrete, reinforcements, and small 3 cm triangular soapstone tiles from Sweden and was in made in separate pieces and put together on site.
  • In the mid 1850s, it was proposed that a religious statue be built on Corcovado Mountain, but the idea was dismissed, and it wasn’t until the 1920s that a proposal was put forward by the Catholic Circle of Rio de Janeiro to build a religious statue, and accepted, and the design that was settled upon was Christ the Redeemer.
Christ the redeemer statue, Looking up, Arms Out, Jesus Christ, Brazil, Rio de Janerio, Free Digital Photos, Ten Random Facts
The Redeemer
Image courtesy of Zole4/ Free Digital Photos
  • Christ the Redeemer statue took 9 years to build, from 1922 to 1931, and was designed and engineered by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by Paul Landowski, a Polish-Frenchman.
  • At the time of construction, Christ the Redeemer would have cost approximately $250,000 USD to build, which would equate to about $3.2 million USD in 2013.
  • In 2008, Christ the Redeemer was struck by lightning in an intense lightning storm, leading to a large, four month restoration project  in 2010, costing $4 million USD.
  • In celebration of Christ the Redeemer’s 75th anniversary in 2006, a chapel was built at the base of the statue.
  • In 2010, during the restoration process, the head and an arm of Christ the Redeemer was the subject of graffiti, which was said to be done by a house painter, and the act was declared ‘a crime against the nation’.
Bibliography:
Christ the Redeemer (Statue), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_Redeemer_(statue)>
Christ the Redeemer Statue – 1 of 7 New Wonders of the World (45 Inspiring Pics), 2011, Love these Pics, <http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/04/christ-the-redeemer-statue-1-of-7-new-wonders-of-the-world-45-inspiring-pics/>

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Chia Seed

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Chia Seed

Teensy little chia seeds.

  • Chia seeds are generally small ovular shaped seeds that are brown, black, grey or white in colour.
  • Chia seeds are said to have the most omega 3, fibre and protein of all plant based food, and are also a good source of manganese, phosphorous, and calcium.
  • The scientific name of chia seeds is salvia hispanica, and they grow on a blue, purple or white flowering herb from the family of Lamiaceae, which is the family of mint.
  • Chia seeds are a traditional ingredient that comes from Mexico and Guatemala, where the plant is native, and in the south west of the United States they are also commonly consumed.
  • It is suggested that a small quantity, a tablespoon for an adult and a teaspoon for a child, of chia seeds be eaten each day, because of their source of nutrients.

Chia seeds, Brown, White, Seeds, Focus, Large, Pile, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The word ‘Chia’ comes from the native Mexican language, from the Nahuatl word ‘chian’, which means ‘oily’.
  • Chia can be eaten whole in its raw form or milled, or can be added to foods such as bread, drinks, cereals, muesli bars, baked goods, or yoghurt.
  • Chia seeds do not have much flavour so they do not change the flavour of foods that they are combined with.
  • Chia seeds are 1 millimetre (0.04inches) in diameter but the chia herb grows to 1 metre (3.3 feet) in height.
  • Chia seeds can be used as an egg replacement, as the seeds form a gel-like substance which thicken and combine with other ingredients.
Bibliography:
Salvia Hispanica, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_hispanica>
Seeds of Goodness, 2013, Life & Style, <http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/blogs/chew-on-this/seeds-of-goodness-20130429-2inue.html>

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United States of America

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United States of America

The world power: the United States of America.

  • The  ‘United States of America’ is also known as the ‘USA’, ‘US’, ‘U.S.A’, ‘U.S’, the ‘United States’ and ‘the States’ and covers an area of 9.83 million square kilometres (3.79 million square miles), making it the fourth largest country.
  • The United States of America became a nation on July 4, 1776, known as Independence Day, and is a republic of 50 states located in central America and north west America.
  • The capital of the United States of America is Washington DC, which is also the home of the White House and the president.
  • The United States of America is one of the most multicultural countries, with a population of over 315 million people, ranking it third in the world, and over 70% of the population are white Americans, and two thirds of the adult population is either overweight or obese.
  • In 2013, the United States of America was the wealthiest country in the world, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over $16 trillion, the highest in the world, and more than a third of world’s wealth is own by Americans.

USA, US, United States, Road Map, Whole, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Map of the USA
Image courtesy of Breki74/Flickr
  • The United States of America has been involved in numerous wars, and one of the most significant wars in its history was the American Civil War in 1861 to 1865, which was based on the issue of slavery and killed approximately 620,000 soldiers.
  • The United States of America has many geographical structures and national parks and over 400 mammals, 500 reptiles and 750 birds, make the US their home, as well as 91,000 species of insects and 17,000 species of plants.
  • The United States of America is the largest importer in the world and ranks as the second largest exporter, with China, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Japan being all major traders, and the country is also the second largest carbon dioxide producer.
  • Cars are the main form of personal transport in the United States of America, and the country caters for motorists with its 13 million roads which include some of the longest in the world.
  • The United States of America has won more than double the number of medals than any other country, throughout the history of the Summer Olympic Games.
Bibliography:
United States of America, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States>
United States of America Country Profile, 2012, BBC, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm>

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