Friday, August 8, 2008










Today we visit Kearney, Nebraska (pronounced car-knee). It is a city in central Nebraska that is the home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. It used to be Kearney State College and that is where I received my Bachelor of Science degree in 1982.
The photos are: 1) The Great Platte River Indian Museum (an arch that spans Interstate 80 at the exit to the city), 2) a parade of U.S. infantry down Kearney's main street in 1888, and 3) a view of "the strip" that shows how flat the area is (as far as the eye can see).

Kearney is a city in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 27,431 at the 2000 census and increased to 30,129 by 2007. It is the county seat of Buffalo County[3] and home to the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
The campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney is located in the city, and has an annual student population of nearly 7,000. Also located here is the Museum of Nebraska Art, the state's official art collection. Just 2 miles east of town, The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, spanning Interstate 80, is a museum paying tribute to the area's pioneer history. It was featured in the movie About Schmidt. Just west of town is a housing subdivision know as The 1,733 Estates. This point marks the halfway point between Boston and San Francisco.
The city is also home to the Tri-City Storm, a USHL team, and formerly the Nebraska Cranes, which were the 2006 USBL Champions. Both teams play their games at the FirsTier Events Center, a large arena built originally to house the hockey team. With seating for 5,000, the arena has had the added effect of attracting various big name performers to the city. Previous guests have been Bob Dylan, Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
Two microbreweries, Thunderhead Brewing and The Platte Valley Brewery are located in downtown Kearney. In 2004, Thunderhead Brewing was awarded a World Beer Cup Gold Medal for Coffee Flavored Beer for its Espresso Stout.
The city was named after nearby Fort Kearny (with an extra "e" added, but pronounced the same), a United States Army outpost along the Oregon Trail in the middle 19th century that was itself named after Col. and later General Stephen W. Kearny. The "e" was added by mistake sometime afterwards by postmen who consistently misspelled the town name. Eventually it just stuck. The current location of the city is on the North side of the Platte River and thanks to the railroad steadily grew.
Recent growth in the city has been dramatic. Each year, Kearney gains about 1,000 more residents and this creates a very lively construction market. The city is expanding quickly to the North, East, and West. The biggest employers in the city are the Good Samaritan Hospital and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Other major employers include The Buckle Corporate Headquarters, Eaton Corporation, Baldwin Filters, and West Company Pharmaceuticals.

Today's Jumble (8/08/08):
SHEWO = WHOSE; GOBUH = BOUGH; LOCSRL = SCROLL; KADMAS = DAMASK
CIRCLED LETTERS = WOBOROMK
What he used when he was fishing for a good novel.
"(A) BOOKWORM"

Today is Bonza Bottler Day (another excuse to celebrate) and Dollar Day. The date today is 8/8/8 (all eights). It is also The Date to Create, Happiness Happens Day, Sneak Some Zuchinni Onto Your Neighbors Porch Night, and National Underware Day .

Other things on this day in history:

1220 - Sweden was defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.
1509 - The Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire.
1576 - The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven.
1585 - John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in quest for the Northwest Passage.
1588 - Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines - The naval engagement ends, thus ending the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade England.
1605 - The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.
1647 - The Irish Confederate Wars and Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Dungans Hill - English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces.
1709 - Bartolomeu de Gusmão's "Passarola", a lighter-than-air airship, is the first man-made design to take flight (in Lisbon).
1786 - Mont Blanc on the French- Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
1793 - The insurrection of Lyon occurred during the French Revolution.
1794 - Joseph Whidbey and George Vancouver lead an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska.
1810 - Eminent Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib married Maaroof, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Baksh, and moved to Delhi.
1839 - Beta Theta Pi is founded in Oxford, Ohio.
1844 - The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Brigham Young, is reaffirmed as the leading body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS or Mormon Church).
1863 - American Civil War: Following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt).
1863 - American Civil War: Tennessee's "military" Gov. Andrew Johnson freed his personal slaves. During the early 20th century, the day was celebrated by blacks in Tennessee as a holiday.
1870 - The Republic of Ploieşti, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania.
1876 - Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph.
1908 - Wilbur Wright makes his first flight at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. It's the Wright Brothers' first public flight and the French public goes wild.
1910 - The US Army installs the first tricycle landing gear on the Army's Wright Flyer.
1911 - The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire.
1911 - Public Law 62-5 sets the number of representatives in the United States House of Representatives at 435. The law would come into effect in 1913.
1918 - World War I: Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous victories with a push through the German front lines (Hundred Days Offensive).
1929 - The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight.
1931 - Workers go on strike at the Hoover dam
1938 - The building of Mauthausen concentration camp begins.
1940 - "Aufbau Ost" directive was signed by Wilhelm Keitel.
1942 - World War II: In Washington, DC, six German would-be saboteurs (Operation Pastorius) are executed.
1942 - Quit India resolution was passed by the Bombay session of the AICC, which leads to the start of a civil disobedience movement across India
1945 - World War II: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and commenced the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.
1945 - The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, which becomes the third nation to join.
1946 - First flight of the Convair B-36.
1947 - Pakistan's National Flag is approved.
1949 - Bhutan becomes independent.
1960 - South Kasai secedes from the Congo.
1963 - Great Train Robbery: In England, a gang of 15 train robbers steal 2.6 million pounds in bank notes.
1967 - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
1968 - Jurō Wada successfully performs Japan's first heart transplant.
1973 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew goes on television to denounce accusations he had taken kickbacks while governor of Maryland.
1973 - Kim Dae-Jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped.
1974 - Watergate scandal: U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his resignation, effective the next day.
1980 - The Central Hotel Fire, Bundoran occurred in Ireland.
1986 - Altaf Hussain's address at Nishtar Park Karachi, announcement of establishing political movement MQM.
1988 - The "8888 Uprising" occurs in Burma.
1988 - The lights are turned on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last major league stadium to host night games. (The game, against the Philadelphia Phillies, is rained out after three-and-a-half innings.)
1989 - Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission - Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission.
1990 - Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward.
1991 - Collapse of Warsaw radio mast, at one time the tallest construction ever built
1991 - John McCarthy, British Journalist held hostage in Lebanon for more than five years by Islamic Jihad, is released.
2000 - Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor.
2007 - An EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York State, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889.
2008 - Start of the Olympics in Beijjing, China.

No comments: