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California is a state located on the western side of the United States. It was officially made a state on September 9, 1850. However, the history of the this state can be traced back many years. In 1602 it was claimed for New Spain and remained under Spanish control until 1821 when Mexico gained independence from Spain. In 1846 American settlers declared independence and created the (unrecognized) California Republic. The US army took the area during the Mexican–American War and the Republic ceded control to the United States. Let’s find out where the name California came from.
Harry Houdini was a magician best known for his incredible escape acts. Houdini was originally born in 1874 as Erik Weisz in Hungary and his family emigrated to the United States in 1878. He took a job as a trapeze artist at just 9 years of age and later decided to become a magician. He took the name Harry Houdini, which was inspired by his favorite magicians. During his early career he performed in small shows where he focused on card tricks. However, it wasn’t long before he began performing the escape acts that would make him famous.
Vasco da Gama was a famous Portuguese explorer of the 15th and 16th century. He is known as being the first European to sail from Europe to India, which was made possible by the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. He led a fleet of 4 ships in July 1497 around the Cape and onto India, where they arrived in May 1498. He was rewarded for his voyage when he returned to Portugal. His second voyage to India was not as successful and he lost favor with the rulers of Portugal. After threatening to defect to Spain the Portuguese King decided it was best to keep Vasco da Gama on his side. Let’s take a look at the events that led up to the death of this famous explorer.
Christopher Columbus was one of the most famous explorers of all time. He traveled between Europe and the Americas four times. Although he wasn’t the first European to reach this area he did play a major part in increasing the awareness of this region and began the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Although he was born in the Republic of Genoa in 1451, a region of modern-day Italy, he received funding and support from the Spanish monarchs; after having his plans rejected by Portugal. He believed that he would be able to reach Japan by sailing the Atlantic Ocean, but underestimated the distance. However, this mistake led to his first landing in the Bahamas. If you have ever wondered how this famous explorer died, keep reading to find out.
The city of New York is known the world over and it often used as the backdrop for many Hollywood movies and TV shows. New York the city is located in the state of New York in the USA. New York is the third most populated state in America and shares its borders with New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts to the east. It also shares a marine border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the north and west, and Quebec to the north. New York is in most cases call New York State to avoid confusion with its largest city New York.
English is the third most spoken language the world over. Approximately 400 million people speak it as a first language and over 1.4 billion people speak English as a second language. It is the official language in 53 countries worldwide. English is the official world language and is used by the United Nations and many other international organizations. It is the language that is most often studied as a foreign language and as a result English speaking teachers are in high demand.
The Liberty Bell was first hung in the State House in Philadelphia and was to be used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to lets citizens know about public meetings and proclamations. It was cast in 1752 by the London firm of Lester and Pack now known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundation. It has part of a verse from Leviticus 25:10 cast on the side which reads “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. It is constructed of copper and tin and has a circumference of 12 ft (3.7 m) and weighs 2,080 lb (900 kg).
It is always interesting how people from different areas of the world sound different even though they are speaking the same language. For example Americans sound very different to the English even through both speak English and the original settlers of America were English. The development of accents happens when groups are separated from each other by distance. Accents are also influenced by other cultures and languages that are part of the community. Many different cultures have contributed to the development of the American accent.
The Titanic was a luxury cruise liner owned by the White Star company. It was the biggest of its time and was said to be unsinkable. Unfortunately the Titanic tragically sunk on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City, United States. The Titanic had a total of 2,227 passengers and crew aboard at the time of her demise. 1,517 of these people perished when the ship sank making it the biggest and most catastrophic marine disaster in history.
Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean in June 1, 1962. She is most famous for being a singer, actress and model. Even years after her death she is renowned for her rendition of “Happy Birthday” and the famous picture of her standing over the air vent in a white dress. Marilyn Monroe played the lead female role in such movies as Gentlemen prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire and The Prince and the Showgirl. Unfortunately at the age of just 36 Marilyn Monroe was found dead at her Brentwood home on August 5, 1962.