I've decided to look up a few tidbits about history. No special topic, just history in general. I hope it's something that will peak some interest.
The Panama Canal is a 48-mile ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 meters above sea level. It takes 6 to 8 hours to pass through the Panama Canal.
The Garden State is the official nickname of New Jersey. This nickname seems to have originated at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia on Jersey Day, August 24, 1876. Abraham Browning, a lawyer and New Jersey resident, referred to New Jersey as the Garden State. He said that New Jersey was an immense barrel open at both ends, bursting with good things to eat, and Pennsylvania was picking from one end and New York from the other.
The Cyclone, at Coney Island, is a historic wooden roller coaster that opened on June 26, 1927, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York. It was declared a New York City landmark on July 12, 1988, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1991.
