Hillary & Norgay & Everest

Photo of Mt. Everest courtesy 123rf.com

On this day in 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first two people to climb to the top of Mount Everest.  The mountain was named in honor of Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General from 1830-1843, who had mapped the Indian subcontinent.  For more information click here1, and click here2, and click here3, and click here4.

First White-Water Rafting Expedition

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

My favorite summer sport is white-water rafting, and my favorite places to do this are the North Island of New Zealand.  For an action-packed day, try rafting the Tongariro River.  For riverside beauty and a little more relaxed day, try rafting the Mokau River.

The first organized white-water rafting expedition took place in 1842, and was organized by topographer and explorer Lieutenant John Fremont (1813-1890) of the U.S. Army on Nebraska's Platte River.    Among other things, Fremont went on to be the 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona.  For more information click here and click here.

What did you learn today?

City of Sails

Photo of Auckland, New Zealand looking east courtesy 123rf.com

One of my favorite cities in the world is Auckland.  I love all of New Zealand:  the people, their government, the terrain, the climate, their wines, just about everything.  Apparently many others feel much the same as Auckland is ranked on different lists as being 3rd, 4th, and 9th of all cities in the world for quality of life.  Other interesting Auckland statistics include:  the population is about 1,400,000; 1 in 3 households own a boat, so it is sometimes called "City of Sails"; it is the 23rd richest city in the world; and the main three religions are Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian.  For more information 1click here, 2click here, and 3click here.

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Where Are the Irish ?!

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

Current estimates of the total number of Irish in the world are about 80 million.  The largest Irish communities outside of Great Britain are in the United States.  Next are Australia, Canada, Argentina, then New Zealand.  For more information click here, click here, and click here.

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Next Week: Daylight Savings Time

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

On this day next week, in the U.S. and some other countries we will be changing our clocks by one hour for Daylight Savings Time.  I remember how to make the change by saying, "Spring forward, fall backward." 

The only two states who do not use DST are Arizona and Hawaii.  In 1784 American Benjamin Franklin thought of the idea and wrote and essay about it.  In 1895 New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson proposed a two-hour change.  In 1905 Englishman William Willett proposed a weekly 20-minute change over the course of four weeks each spring and fall.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?