by Marc Aronson
Maryland (1788) Annapolis Annapolis was the nation’s first peacetime capital, until the Founders went off to Philadelphia to draft the Constitution.
Massachusetts (1788) Boston Is there any possible reason why you won’t be able to remember this?
Michigan (1837) Lansing Lansing was originally a seam—con artists sold land in a town that did not exist and was usually underwater.
Minnesota (1858) Saint Paul Looking for the world’s largest snowman built out of plaster? You’ve found him; the 54-foot guy is in Saint Paul.
Mississippi (1817) Jackson Jackson is one of four state capitals named after presidents. See if you can find the other three.
Missouri (1821) Jefferson City If you have not found the next capital named after a president, you are fast asleep.
Montana (1889) Helena Helena was a gold rush town that yielded over three billion dollars worth of gold. Lucky miners built large mansions, which still stand.
Nebraska (1867) Lincoln The 911 emergency call system was invented in Lincoln—notice anything else about the name?
Nevada (1864) Carson City Named after the scout “Kit” Carson, Nevada’s capital grew rapidly when the Comstock Lode of silver was discovered nearby.
New Hampshire (1788) Concord The statehouse in Concord was built in 1819 and is still used by the legislature, making it the oldest statehouse still used for its original purpose.
New Jersey (1787) Trenton George Washington’s surprise attack on the British on December 26, 1776, took place in Trenton.
New Mexico (1912) Santa Fe Located 7,000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is the highest state capital.
New York (1788) Albany If you go to Albany, keep your eyes peeled for the giant statue of a dog seated on top of a warehouse.
North Carolina (1789) Raleigh Raleigh was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of the colony at Roanoke, which he never visited (see page 38).
North Dakota (1889) Bismarck Bismarck’s name honors the “Iron Chancellor” who united Germany. Businessmen hoped to attract German immigrants.
Ohio (1803) Columbus Half of the people in America live within 500 miles of Columbus.
Oklahoma (1907) Oklahoma City Oklahoma City is the only capital that has a working oil well on the grounds of its capitol building.
Oregon (1859) Salem Salem is home to the world’s smallest park—Waldo Park consists of just one Sierra Red wood planted in 1872.
Pennsylvania (1787) Harrisburg Though Native Americans lived in this area for thousands of years, the town of Harrisburg owes its origin to James Harris, who first set up a trading post on the site in 1710. Here’s one case where the name of a city tells you its history.
Rhode Island (1790) Providence Providence’s 58-foot statue of “Nibbles” the termite is said to be the largest insect replica in the world.
South Carolina (1788) Columbia The name Columbia was chosen over Washington in a 1786 vote, which is why there is still one more president’s name capital to go.
South Dakota (1889) Pierre Named after a fort that was on the same site, Pierre is pronounced “peer”—here, but nowhere else.
Tennessee (1796) Nashville Nashville became the home of country music because a local insurance company decided to sponsor a radio station. In 1924, WSM (“we shield millions”) came on the air and began broadcasting what became the Grand Ole Opry.
Texas (1845) Austin When Pappy Lee O’Daniel took office for his second term as governor of Texas in 1941, he held a barbecue here for 20,000 people, who ate 19,000 pounds of meat, helped down by 32,000 cups of coffee.
Utah (1896) Salt Lake City We know exactly when this city was created—it was established by Brigham Young and a small group of fellow Mormons on July 24, 1847, as Great Salt Lake City.
Vermont (1791) Montpelier With just 8,000 residents, Montpelier is the least-populous state capital.
Virginia (1788) Richmond Richmond became Virginia’s capital in 1780, and just a year later Benedict Arnold, fighting for the British, burned it down. But the city survived, and he lost.
Washington (1889) Olympia The Native Americans who lived where Olympia is now called it the “Black Bear Place.”
West Virginia (1863) Charleston The first street in the world to be paved entirely with bricks was created in Charleston in 1870.
Wisconsin (1848) Madison Home to one campus of the University of Wisconsin. Wonder where the name came from?
Wyoming (1890) Cheyenne Cheyenne Frontier Days is held here at the end over every July and said to be the largest rodeo in the world.
PEOPLE, PEOPLE EVERYWHERE …
THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 6.6 BILLION people living right now on this planet. They reside in 193 different countries and dozens of territories and colonies, but more than half of all people live in just the five places listed below. Here’s an interesting fact: One out of every three people in the world lives in China or India.
China 1.3 billion
India 1.1 billion
European Union 490 million
United States 300 million
Indonesia 250 million
The places with the most people are not always the biggest countries, in terms of land size. Check this out (square kilometers):
Russia 17,075,200
Antarctica 14,000,000
Canada 9,984,670
United States 9,826,630
China 9,596,960
While Russia fills some 17 million square kilometers, and Canada 9.9, nobody lives in most of that territory. Compare that to Monaco, an island country off the south of France, which has more than 32,000 people jammed into less than one square mile (which adds up to a density of 42,000 people per square mile). On the other hand, Mongolia has 2.8 million people spread out over nearly 605,000 square miles (with a population density of only five people per square mile).
With the exception of some deserts, badlands, and glaciers here and there, America’s 9.6 million square kilometers are full of people. And fast-food places.
BASEBALL’S BEST
SIX MEN IN BASEBALL HISTORY HAVE HIT 300 home runs and stolen 300 bases. If you have trouble remembering those six names, it is much easier for the 500-500 club. It has exactly one member: Barry Bonds.
The first to make it to 300-300 was Willie Mays, then Andre Dawson, Bobby Bonds, and then Bobby’s son Barry, who is also Willie’s godson. More recent additions to the club are Steve Finley and Reggie Sanders.
ALL-AMERICAN
PREDATORS
MICKEY D’S: With its nearly 13,000 McDonald’s franchises, America has three times as many as Japan, at number two; and 13 times as many as Canada, number three.
WEALTH: America’s total national income is twice that of Japan, in second; four times Germany, in third; and six times that of England, in fourth; France, just behind, is in fifth.
INTERNET USE: When we are not out eating or making money, we’re on the Internet. America ranks first in Internet users, ahead of China, Japan, and India. Then comes Germany.
MT. EVEREST CLIMBING: Not all Americans, though, are burger-filled Net-surfers. Americans rank second in climbing Mt. Everest, with 178 climbers, ahead of Japan’s 85, Russia’s 67, and England’s 60. The country that really excels at climbing Mount Everest is Nepal—which makes sense since the mountain straddles Nepal and Tibet, and people who live near it are skilled climbers. Some 532 Nepalese have scaled the world’s highest mountain.
OLYMPIC MEDALS: America ranks first in all-time summer Olympic medals—and it isn’t close. America’s 2,116 is three and a half times second-place England’s 638, and it is downhill from there to France’s 598, Italy’s 479, and Sweden’s 469.
SOCCER: But, sad to say, there is one area where America is, let’s face it, terrible. Brazil has won the most World Cup matches in soccer, with 64; Germany is second at 56; Italy third at 45; Argentina is fourth at 33. Though America tries, we are tied with Croatia for 24th. We’ve taken a big six matches.
PREDATORS
KINGS OF THE HILL
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br /> BIGGER FISH EAT smaller fish, we all know that. But where does that chain begin? With the top predator, the animal so powerful and well-suited to where it lives that no other species treats it as a snack—no other species, that is, but humans. Here are some of the best of the best of predators:
American alligators eat whatever comes their way, from fish to spiders to raccoons, deer, or even bears and boys. The alligator gulps down its victim whole, then slowly digests it. Alligators live in wetlands throughout the southeastern United States. Though alligator attacks on humans are rare, this is one animal that will eat you if you wade into its path.
Bald eagles live throughout North America and typically eat fish, birds, and small rodents such as mice. They can lift about four pounds and fly off, so if they spot a vulnerable larger animal, such as a chicken, they will grasp it in their talons and try to carry it off.
Brown bears eat everything, from up to 40,000 moths in a day—which they catch by turning over rocks and exposing moths that cannot yet fly—to mushrooms, fish, squirrels, or a dead moose. They will attack people, but generally do not eat them. Brown bears live in mountainous regions in North America, Asia, and Europe.
Electric eels are not actually eels, they are knifefish. Adult eels eat other kinds of fish, which they shock in order to eat whole while the other fish is stunned but still alive. The current they create is as strong as a stun gun and keeps enemies away. It should also keep you away, because if a knifefish zaps you, it really hurts. Electric eels live in freshwater rivers in South America.
Great horned owls eat other birds, mammals such as rabbits, mice, or cats, and dine on fish or reptiles throughout North America and parts of South America. They sit on branches and watch for prey, then swoop down and grab what they want with their strong, sharp talons. Because of this ferocious attack, as well as the bands on their chests, the great horned owl is known as the “winged tiger.”
Jaguars kill their prey in a special way; they use their powerful jaws to bite through the animal’s skull into the brain. These large cats go after big animals such as deer and anacondas, but will even eat frogs, monkeys, or turtles. Jaguars live in Mexico and parts of Central and South America.
Killer whales (orcas) live in all of the world’s oceans. Hunting in packs, called pods, the whales follow different strategies depending on what kind of food is most plentiful near where they live. Some prefer to follow schools of fish, such as herring; others concentrate on mammals such as seals. Killer whales have even been known to attack great white sharks.
King cobras mainly eat other snakes, which is good because their venom is deadly, and for short periods, they can raise their heads up to human height. They live in South Asia.
Komodo dragons live on islands in Indonesia, where they eat everything from insects and birds to the bodies of horses and water buffalo. Their teeth have jagged edges for ripping flesh, and their mouths are filled with deadly bacteria (which does not harm them), so that an injured animal will soon die from infection, even if it survives an attack. While the dragons are usually about 8 feet long, some reach 10 feet.
Lions hunt in packs called prides, which usually include about two males and seven females. Lionesses do almost all of the actual hunting, but then males grab the kill and feed themselves first. Lions can hunt anything from rhinos and young elephants to giraffes and gnus, but they also take over kills made by other animals.
Polar bears eat whatever meat they can get, from seals, crabs, and walrus to birds, musk oxen, and reindeer. Their habitat in the Arctic Ocean area is in danger as global warming melts ice and raises water temperatures.
Snapping turtles will eat whatever they can get into their mouths, from insects to mammals to your fingers or toes. They live in North America.
Tigers are the world’s largest cats. They are good swimmers and, whether on land or in the water, will take on crocodiles and snakes, as well as easier prey such as deer, pigs, and water buffalo. Today, most tigers live in South and East Asia.
KINGS OF ANCIENT HILLS
THESE GUYS ARE NO LONGER AROUND, and it is a good thing, too. They sound like the kind of monsters you read about in myths and legends, but they were real.
ALLOSAURUS. The name means “strange” lizard, because when scientists first found its bones, they looked different from other dinosaurs known at the time. One hundred and fifty million years ago, this guy was the dinosaur to beat in what later became North America. The biggest were some 35 feet long and they probably hunted in packs, had really sharp teeth, and were smart and strong.
ANDREWSARCHUS MONGOLIENSIS. “ANDREWS’S BEAST”—so named because Roy Chapman Andrews found its remains in Mongolia. At 13-18 feet long, these giant wolf-like animals lived 60 million years ago. They were so big and strong, they may have eaten beached whales, turtles, nearby mammals, and anything large and slow that crossed their path.
HOW TO FIGHT OFF AN ALLIGATOR
DURING ONE WEEK IN 2006, three people in Florida were eaten by alligators. In the prevision 50 yers, only 17 people had been eaten. So, either the alligators got really hungry all of a sudden, or these three unlucky humans didn’t know how to handle an angry gator.
Well, here’s what you need to know in order not to become an alligator appetizer: An alligator has the strongest jaws of any creature; it can clamp down with a force of 2,000 pounds (Fig. A), which is enough to flip a car into the air. But—and this is a big but—alligators have almost zero force to open their jaws (Fig. B). The muscles that open their mouths are so weak that the jaws can be held shut with a rubber band. Or, in your case, with two hands.
If you’ve got an alligator on your tail, the best thing to do is run away from it in a zigzagging motion. But if it’s so close that you can smell its breath (which typically smells like rotting, dead animals), then your best bet is to jump on its neck and clamp its mouth shut with your hands. And hold on tight. You’ll feel like you’re on a bucking bronco, but as long as the alligator can’t open its mouth, you won’t end up inside it. If you think you can do it with one hand, use the other to poke its eyes—hard.
By the way, alligators are found only in the United States and China. The rest of the world has crocodiles. And using your hands on crocodile jaws works just as well.
Fig. A - Strong
Fig. B - Weak
DISEASES YOU DEFINITELY DON’T WANT TO GET
ANTHRAX
This disease, which usually affects cattle, can be passed to people if they breathe in the spores from infected animals, or if the spores enter a cut on your skin. It infects your lungs and your intestines, breaking down the tissue and causing internal bleeding. Vomiting blood is one symptom, and inhaled anthrax almost always leads to certain death.
BOTULISM
A disease frequently transmitted in tainted food (especially in cans), it causes paralysis. First your facial muscles become paralyzed, and then the disease works its way down your body over the course of several days until just about everything is paralyzed and you can no longer breathe. The botulinum toxin may be the most poisonous substance known to man.
EBOLA
A viral disease that liquefies your internal organs and causes bleeding from every body opening. You get ebola by being exposed to the body fluids of an infected person, especially their saliva and blood. There is no cure once you get it.
PLAGUE
Plague is an actual disease caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, which is spread by rodents and fleas, and sometimes passes between people. It attacks your lungs and causes them to fill up with liquid. In some forms, it causes internal bleeding right under your skin, causing your flesh to turn a purplish black just before you die. During the 1300s, a plague known as the “Black Death” (from the grotesque discoloration of the victims’ skin) killed 25 million people in Europe, one third of the population.
SMALLPOX
One of the most widespread diseases in history, it is easily passed from person to person by everything from touch to clothing.
It attacks your entire body, causing infections and even brain inflammation. There have been numerous epidemics throughout history, and historians believe that smallpox probably killed off most of the Native American population after Europeans with the disease moved to the Americas. Another killed more than 100,000 people during the Revolutionary War. Thanks to vaccinations, smallpox has been successfully eliminated from most of the world. Samples of the deadly virus are stored in two vaults for future research: one in Atlanta, Georgia, and the other in Siberia.
THE BIGGEST MAN-MADE THING
THERE’S SOMETHING incredibly cool about huge, enormous, and gigantic things, especially when they are man-made. Staring up at a skyscraper, standing up close to a huge jet—it makes you wonder just how big these things can really get. Guess what? We’ve got the answer below. And we are talking so gigantic and enormous, these things can only be called ginormous.
BUILDINGS
