Scavenger Hunt #6 A Historical Landmark

This was one of those that I was a little worried about. Not sure what I would take a picture of?
Had a big think about what was classed as a landmark within Hamilton but could come up with nothing. So resorted to the good old computer and had a look to see what Google Search brought up for me.
My first search was for Historical Landmarks in New Zealand? This brought up some of the following:

1. The beehive building (political building in Wellington)
2. One Tree Hill
3. Mount Eden
4. Goat Island Reserve
5. Rotorua

Not sure that any of those really classed as an historical landmark, I mean Rotorua is in fact a city not a landmark! Have a feeling this was more of a list of places to visit whenever this way in the world.

I tried to think about landmarks for other countries

1. Big Ben
2. Empire State Building

And could think of nothing like that that people here in New Zealand associate with Hamilton.

However then I stumbled across a website explaining about a heritage trail around Hamilton and realised that just over the river was a bunch of places classed within Hamilton as places of importance to the history of Hamilton. I am not actually sure if too many people have wandered around the city determined to view all of these places but I like to think so.

I finally went with a beautiful house in Hamilton that is very old but has also been for sale for the whole time that we have been living here. Now let me tell you, if I had a current $1.4 million to spare then I would have loved to have purchased it, but alas it was not to be, someone finally beat me to it!

Nothing too special from the back on the road

But just look at the front, wow!

Wouldn't just everyone love to have the ability to own and live here?

Although at the end of the scavenger hunt if I had been unable to find an historical landmark or a heart shaped stone (a fill in item you can use if unable to find one of the listed items!) then I could have always just gone with this statue......

That is right...Riff Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Richard O'Brian the writer, creator and everything else to do with it is well associated with Hamilton and has just returned to live here.

Me, I am not totally all up on this movie, have only watched parts of it. But give me The Crystal Maze from the early 90's and I know exactly who he is!

Keep Calm

Did you ever wonder where this came from?
Well pop over to Paisley Jade, she has a little history lesson about it and it is really quite interesting.

I am amazed at the way this saying has gone global, it has been used by many and adapted by more.

December 6

December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.
There are 25 days remaining until the end of the year

Events on this day:

1897 – London becomes the world's first city to host licenced taxicabs.
1967 – Adrian Kantrowitz performed the first human heart transplant in the United States.

2001 – The Canadian province of Newfoundland is renamed Newfoundland and Labrador.


Births on this day:

There were people born on this day, but Wikipedia only mentioned American Baseball and Football Players, no one of any importance that I could see.

Deaths on this day:

343 – Saint Nicholas (b. 270)

1988 – Roy Orbison, American singer, guitarist, and songwriter (b. 1936)

2001 – Sir Peter Blake, New Zealand sailor and environmentalist (b. 1948)

Due to the death of Saint Nicholas on December 6, this is the reason that many international countries in Europe celebrate Saint Nicholas Day where it is a festival for all the children and little gifts are received.

December 4

December 4 is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.
There are 27 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events on this day:

1791 – The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.
1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, United States

Births on this day:

1930 – Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor

1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor

1949 – Pamela Stephenson, New Zealand-born actress

1973 – Tyra Banks, American supermodel

Deaths on this day:

1976 – Benjamin Britten, English composer (b. 1913)


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December 3

December 3 is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.
There are 28 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events on this day:

1976 – An assassination attempt is made on Bob Marley. He is shot twice, but plays a concert two days later.

Births on this day:

1948 – Ozzy Osbourne, English singer

1959 – Eamonn Holmes, Northern Irish TV presenter

1960 – Daryl Hannah, American actress

1960 – Julianne Moore, American actress

1968 – Brendan Fraser, Canadian-American actor

Deaths on this day:

1894 – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer (b. 1850)

December 2

December 2 is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.
There are 29 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events on this day:

1982 – At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.

Births on this day:

1973 – Monica Seles, Yugoslavian-born tennis player

1981 – Britney Spears, American singer, dancer and entertainer

Deaths on this day:

On Wikipadia, there was a nice long list of deaths for this day, but no one I recognised or found that famous.

Today, here in New Zealand is National Jandal Day in support of the Surf Life Saving. The wonderful volunteers who patrol our beaches during the summertime to try and help us swim in the safe areas between the flags and attempt to rescue us if we do have trouble in the water.

So whether you call them flip flops, jandals or thongs today is the day to be wearing them out.
Where them to work, the supermarket or the beach, if you are lucky enough to have the day off. Here in Hamilton the weather is very condusive to wearing them, the sun is shining and it is a lovely day for wearing little on your feet.

December 1

Useless information, everyone has a little tucked away in their purse for a rainy day. My mother swears blind she could take a degree course in it and pass with merit, she feels she knows so much useless information!
Me, well the odd bit pops into my head from time to time, usually thanks to my mum.
So for the month of December, I will post some useless info about the date.
You never know, you might actually learn something from it!

December 1 is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.
There are 30 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events on this day:

In 1960 Paul McCartney and Pete Best were arrested then deported from Hamburg, Germany, after accusations of attempted arson.
In 1981 the AIDS virus was officially recognized.
In 1990 the Channel Tunnel sections started from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 metres beneath the seabed.

Births on this day:

1935 – Woody Allen, American film director, actor, and comedian

1940 – Richard Pryor, American comic and actor (d. 2005)

 

Deaths on this day:

1135 – Henry I of England

2007 – Anton Rodgers, British actor (b. 1933)

Many of you are probably sorting your Christmas tree out so you can decorate the house. So here is some useless information about that too.....

• The custom of erecting a Christmas tree is believed to have begun in 15th or 16th century Linovia (present day Estonia and Latvia) and northern Germany.
• The first artificial Christmas tree was developed in Germany during the 19th century and were made using goose feathers dyed green.
• For every real christmas tree harvested, 1 to 3 seedlings are planted the following spring

Reunion

My sons school is coming up for its 150th anniversary.
Quite an achievement really.
They are looking at creating a committee to organise a celebration for this joyous occassion.
I don't think they are trying to find someone from when the school first started, quite an achievement in my eyes! but they will be looking to find old pupils.

My new boss has admitted that that was his Primary school all those many years ago, which is nice to think he know only works down the road from it and still lives in the region.
However I am aware of one parent who attended the school herself and now both her boys are just coming to the end of going through the whole school.
In this day and age where people are known to move a lot, it is lovely to find someone who has that history with a school.
Lets hope we can find more like that.

History

40 years ago today I was not even born!

I was a thought but not even a twinkling in my parents eye.

My parents lived in Southampton, England and on the other side of the world, or stars even, 3 guys were making history.........they were walking on the moon.

Yes that is right, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were up there in the sky 'taking one giant step for mankind'

Another piece of history or rather geography was that at the moment Neil Armstrong took a step on the moon, then the small town of Wapakoneta, Ohio was firmly cemented on the map as well.

Although it is amazing how many people do not know this town.

I have actually had the awesome privilege to live in this town, and given an extra special heart beat I would be back there tomorrow.

Why?.....I don't actually know, it just struck a cord with me and will stay with me for ever.

The city of Wapakoneta is within the Auglaize County of Ohio, it is situated on I75 at exit 111, just where State Highway 33 crosses I75. It is approximately 60 miles north of Dayton and 80 miles North West of Columbus.

It has a population of 9500 (2000 Cencus) and is originally an old Indian area. Most of the streets are named after Indians with the exception of the odd streets that are named after Neil Armstrong. Places like Apollo Drive, Lunar Drive and of course Neil Armstrong Drive.

Which in fact is where his parents use to live. In fact I have held a hose pipe with his father!

Every year in Wapak, they have a fun run around part of the city, to celebrate Neil's achievements. The year I was there, which I think was about 86 or 87, I got to do some marshalling for the fun run and my position to monitor was on Neil Armstrong Drive. It was a stinking hot day and his father had erected a hosepipe on top of a ladder at the edge of the street. This then allowed the runners to run through a spray of water as they ran past. So thoughtful.

My only regret from when I lived there was that I never managed to go to the Neil Armstrong Museum that is run by the Ohio Historical Soceity. All the kids I knew at the time, told you what it was like, because it was the local place to end up on a school trip at, but seeing as I never managed to get to High School there, I never got to the museum. This is something that one day I hope to put right.

So on this special day for mankind everywhere. When it gets dark tonight, take a quick glance up at the moon and think about what those 3 awesome men achieved all those years ago.

Titanic

Everyone knows the story of the Titanic.

It has been made into a movie and there are countless books about that fateful day in April 1912.

So it was with much sadness, even though it doesn't directly effect me, that I read in the newspaper that over the weekend the last known survivor had died.

She was 97 years old. She had been on the boat at the age of 2 months as her family emigrated to Kansas in the United States. She lost her father but her mother and brother survived.

It is still a fascinating story that will be read with interest for many generations to come.

Another History Making Moment

Yet again, another major history making moment is happening in my lifetime. Ok I am sure there have been many over the past 30 odd years, but I don't remember some of the ones in the beginning.


So today is the big day for the new 44th President of the United States of America.

I know there is an Inauguration every 4 years or so, but I honestly don't remember the last one, maybe it wasn't quite as significant as this one is. I don't even remember Clinton's, maybe they weren't televised as much as this one has been?

I wish him all the luck in the world.