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Continuing with our tour of state capitals, let's go to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

1. The photos are: 1) downtown Harrisburg viewed from the Susquehanna River; 2) the Harrisburg skyline as seen from the John Harris bridge; 3) the Pennsylvania State Capitol building; 4) Harrisburg's Market Square (formerly the site of a market in Downtown Harrisburg, today it is a public transportation hub and commercial center); 5) the Walnut Street Bridge at night; 6) the 2008 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Strawberry Square; 7) the Fort Hunter Mansion; 8) a water fountain in City Park; and 9) a sculpture in the Civil War Museum Park.

Harrisburg is the capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Altoona.
Harrisburg is the county seat of Dauphin County and lies on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, 105 miles (169 km) west-northwest of Philadelphia. The Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry counties, had a population of 509,074 in 2000. A July 1, 2007 estimate placed the population at 528,892, making it the fifth largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (the Lehigh Valley), and Scranton-Wilkes Barre.[2] The Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon Combined Statistical Area, including both the Harrisburg-Carlisle and Lebanon Metropolitan Statistical Areas, had an estimated population of 656,781 in 2007.
Harrisburg played a notable role in American history during the Westward Migration, the American Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution. During part of the 19th century, the building of the Pennsylvania Canal and later the Pennsylvania Railroad allowed Harrisburg to become one of the most industrialized cities in the Northeastern United States.
Contrasted with its 1981 status as the second most distressed city in the nation, Harrisburg has undergone a dramatic economic change, with nearly $3 billion in new investment now realized. The U.S. Navy ship USS Harrisburg, which served from 1918-19 at the end of World War I, is named in honor of the city.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show, the largest indoor agriculture exposition in the United States, was first held in Harrisburg in 1917 and has been held there every January since then. Harrisburg also hosts the annual "Auto Show," a large static display of new as well as classic cars, which is renowned nation-wide. Harrisburg is also known for the infamous Three Mile Island incident, which occurred in nearby Middletown.

The site along the Susquehanna River where Harrisburg is located is thought to have been inhabited by Native Americans as early as 3000 BC. Known to the Native Americans as "Peixtin," or "Paxtang," the area was an important resting place and crossroads for Native American traders, as the trails leading from the Delaware to the Ohio rivers, and from the Potomac to the Upper Susquehanna intersected there. The first European contact with Native Americans in Pennsylvania was made by the Englishman, Captain John Smith, who journeyed from Virginia up the Susquehanna River in 1608 and visited with the Susquehanna tribe. In 1719, John Harris, Sr., an English trader, settled here and 14 years later secured grants of 800 acres (3.2 km²) in this vicinity. In 1785, John Harris, Jr. made plans to lay out a town on his father's land, which he named Harrisburg. In the spring of 1785, the town was formally surveyed by William Maclay, who was a son-in-law of John Harris, Sr. In 1791, Harrisburg became incorporated and was named the Pennsylvania state capital in October 1812.

During the first part of the 19th century, Harrisburg was a notable stopping place along the Underground Railroad, as escaped slaves would be transported across the Susquehanna River and were often fed and given supplies before heading north towards Canada. The assembling here of the Harrisburg Convention in 1827 led to the passage of the high protective-tariff bill of 1828. In 1839, Harrison and Tyler were nominated for President of the United States at Harrisburg. By the 1830s Harrisburg was part of the Pennsylvania canal system and an important railroad center as well. Steel and iron became dominant industries. Steel and other industries continued to play a major role in the local economy throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century. The city was the center of enormous railroad traffic and supported large furnaces, rolling mills, and machine shops. The Pennsylvania Steel Company plant, which opened in nearby Steelton in 1866, was the first in the country; later operated by Bethlehem Steel.
During the American Civil War, Harrisburg was a significant training center for the Union Army, with tens of thousands of troops passing through Camp Curtin. It was also a major rail center for the Union and a vital link between the Atlantic coast and the Midwest, with several railroads running through the city and spanning the Susquehanna River. As a result of this importance, it was a target of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during its two invasions. The first time during the 1862 Maryland Campaign, when Lee planned to capture the city after taking Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, but was prevented from doing so by the Battle of Antietam and his subsequent retreat back into Virginia. The second attempt was made during the Gettysburg Campaign in 1863 and was more substantial. A short skirmish took place in June 1863 at Sporting Hill, just 2 miles west of Harrisburg. This is considered by many to be the northern-most battle of the Civil War.

Many important events have helped to shape Harrisburg over the years. The Pennsylvania Farm Show, a the largest indoor agriculture exposition in the United States, was first held in 1917 and has been held every January since then. The present location of the Show is the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Arena, located at the corner of Maclay and Cameron streets. In June 1972, Harrisburg was hit by a major flood from the remnants of hurricane Agnes. On March 28, 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, along the Susquehanna River located south of Harrisburg, suffered a partial meltdown. Although the meltdown was contained and radiation leakages were minimal, there were still worries that an evacuation would be necessary. Governor Richard Thornburgh did recommend an evacuation of pregnant women and preschool children who lived within a five mile radius of TMI. Although there were about 5,000 people covered by this recommendation, over 140,000 people fled the area.

After Harrisburg suffered years of being in bad shape economically, Stephen R. Reed was elected mayor in 1981 and has been re-elected ever since, making him the longest serving mayor of Harrisburg. He immediately started projects which would attract both businesses and tourists. Several museums and hotels such as Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, the National Civil War Museum and the Hilton Harrisburg and Towers were built during his term, along with many office buildings and residences. Several semi-professional sports franchises, including the Harrisburg Senators of the Eastern League, the defunct Harrisburg Heat indoor soccer club and the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division began operations in the city during his tenure as mayor. While praised for the vast number of economic improvements, Reed has also been criticized for population loss and mounting debt. For example, during a budget crisis the city was forced to sell $8 million worth of Western and American-Indian artifacts collected by Mayor Reed for a never-realized museum celebrating the American West.

Today's Jumble (11/01/08):

WULAF = AWFUL; GOMAD = DOGMA; REFONZ = FROZEN; INSOUC = COUSIN
CIRCLED LETTERS = WDROCS

Lots of people make them at a ball game.

"CROWDS"

Today is All Saints' Day. It is also Teach A Friend To Homebrew Day. And don't forget National Author's Day and National Family Literacy Day.

Other things on this day in history:

996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freising, which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi (Austria in Old High German).
1348 - The anti-royalist Union of Valencia attacks the Jews of Murviedro because they are serfs of the King of Valencia and thus "royalists".
1512 - The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is exhibited to the public for the first time.
1520 - The Strait of Magellan, the passage immediately south of mainland South America, connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, is first navigated by Ferdinand Magellan during his global circumnavigation voyage.
1604 - William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello is presented for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London.
1611 - William Shakespeare's romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time, at Whitehall Palace in London.
1612 - (22 October O.S.) Time of Troubles in Russia: Moscow, Kitai-gorod, is captured by Russian troops under command of Dmitry Pozharsky
1683 - The British crown colony of New York is subdivided into 12 counties.
1755 - Lisbon earthquake: In Portugal, Lisbon is destroyed by a massive earthquake and tsunami, killing between sixty thousand and ninety thousand people.
1765 - The British Parliament enacts the Stamp Act on the 13 colonies in order to help pay for British military operations in North America.
1790 - Edmund Burke publishes Reflections on the Revolution in France, in which he predicts that the French Revolution will end in a disaster.
1800 - US President John Adams becomes the first President of the United States to live in the Executive Mansion (later renamed the White House).
1802 - Delegates meet at Chillicothe, Ohio to form a state constitutional convention.
1805 - Napoleon Bonaparte invades Austria during the War of the Third Coalition.
1814 - Congress of Vienna opens to re-draw the European political map after the defeat of France, in the Napoleonic Wars.
1848 - In Boston, Massachusetts, the first medical school for women, The Boston Female Medical School (which later merged with the Boston University School of Medicine), opens.
1859 - The current Cape Lookout, North Carolina, lighthouse was lit for the first time. Its first-order Fresnel lens can be seen for about 19 miles (30 kilometers), in good conditions.
1861 - American Civil War: US President Abraham Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as the commander of the Union Army, replacing the aged General Winfield Scott.
1870 - In the United States, the Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) makes its first official meteorological forecast.
1876 - New Zealand's provincial government system is dissolved.
1884 - The Gaelic Athletic Association is set up in Hayes's Hotel in Thurles, County Tipperary.
1886 - Ananda College, a leading Buddhist school in Sri Lanka was established with 37 students.
1894 - Nicholas II becomes the new Tsar of Russia after his father, Alexander III, dies.
1896 - A picture showing the unclad (bare) breasts of a woman appears in National Geographic magazine for the first time.
1901 - Sigma Phi Epsilon, the largest national male collegiate fraternity is established at Richmond College, in Richmond, VA.
1911 - The first dropping of a bomb from an airplane in combat, during the Italo-Turkish War.
1914 - World War I: the first British Royal Navy defeat of the war with Germany, the Battle of Coronel, is fought off of the western coast of Chile, in the Pacific.
1915 - Parris Island is officially designated a Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
1916 - Paul Miliukov delivers in the State Duma the famous "stupidity or treason" speech, precipitating the downfall of the Boris Stürmer government.
1918 - Malbone Street Wreck: the worst rapid transit accident in US history occurs under the intersection of Malbone Street and Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City, with at least 93 deaths.
1918 - Western Ukraine gains its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
1920 - American Fishing Schooner Esperanto defeats the Canadian Fishing Schooner Delawana in the First International Fishing Schooner Championship Races in Halifax.
1922 - The last sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI, abdicates.
1928 - The Law on the Adoption and Implementation of the Turkish Alphabet, replacing the version of the Arabic alphabet previously used, comes into force in Turkey.
1937 - Stalinists executed by shooting Pastor Paul Hamberg and seven members of Azerbaijan's Lutheran community (including three women).
1938 - Seabiscuit defeats War Admiral in an upset victory during a match race deemed "the match of the century" in horse racing.
1939 - The first rabbit born after artificial insemination is exhibited to the world.
1941 - American photographer Ansel Adams takes a picture of a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico that would become one of the most famous images in the history of photography.
1942 - Matanikau Offensive begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign and ends on November 4.
1943 - World War II: Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, United States Marines, the 3rd Marine Division, land on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
1943 - World War II: In support of the landings on Bougainville, U.S. aircraft carrier forces attack the huge Japanese base at Rabaul.
1944 - World War II: Units of the British Army land at Walcheren in the Netherlands.
1945 - The official North Korean newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, is first published under the name Chongro. Australia joins the United Nations.
1946 - The New York Knicks played against the Toronto Huskies at the Maple Leaf Gardens, in the first Basketball Association of America game. The Knicks would win 68-66.
1948 - Off southern Manchuria, 6,000 people are killed as a Chinese merchant ship explodes and sinks.
1950 - Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempt to assassinate US President Harry S. Truman at Blair House.
1950 - Pope Pius XII witnesses "The Miracle of the Sun" while at the Vatican.
1950 - Pope Pius XII claims Papal Infallibility when he formally defines the dogma of the Assumption of Mary.
1951 - American soldiers are exposed to an atomic explosion for training purposes in Desert Rock, Nevada. Participation was not voluntary.
1952 - Operation Ivy - The United States successfully detonates the first large hydrogen bomb, codenamed "Mike" ["M" for megaton], in the Eniwetok atoll, located in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. The explosion had a yield of 10 megatons.
1954 - The Front de Libération Nationale fires the first shots of the Algerian War of Independence.
1955 - The bombing of United Airlines Flight 629 occurs near Longmont, Colorado, killing all 39 passengers and five crew members aboard the Douglas DC-6B airliner.
1956 - Formation of Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with its capital as Hyderabad, formerly known as Nizam state.
1956 - Formation of Kerala state in India.
1957 - The Mackinac Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opens to traffic connecting Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas.
1960 - While campaigning for President of the United States, John F. Kennedy announces his idea of the Peace Corps.
1963 - The Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, with the largest radio telescope ever constructed, officially opens.
1968 - The Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system is officially introduced, originating with the ratings G, M, R, and X.
1970 - A fire at a dance hall in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France kills 144 young people.
1973 - Watergate Scandal: Leon Jaworski is appointed as the new Watergate Special Prosecutor.
1973 - The Indian state of Mysore was renamed as Karnataka to represent all the regions within Karunadu .
1981 - Antigua and Barbuda gain independence from the United Kingdom.
1982 - Honda becomes the first Asian automobile company to produce cars in the United States with the opening of their factory in Marysville, Ohio. The Honda Accord is the first car produced there.
1991 - Three faculty, and one staff member of the department of physics and astronomy, were killed, along with one administrator, when physics graduate student Gang Lu went on a shooting rampage at the University of Iowa.
1993 - The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union.
2005 - First part of the Gomery Report, which discusses allegations of political money manipulation, is released in Canada.