It's been 6 days since I officially moved to Rhode Island. So far, it's been great. Work is wonderful, my apartment is lovely, and I'm learning the lay of the land rather quickly. I decided since I will most likely be living here for a few years that I should do some research and learn a bit about this place that I will call home and I came across some extremely interesting facts.
For example, who knew that the official state name is "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations"? I am pretty certain Ms. Theel, my 8th grade American History teacher, never informed me or my rowdy classmates of this neat fact. It was simply taught to me as "Rhode Island" and that certainly just will not do. So, I delved into learning everything necessary, interesting, quirky, thoughtful, trivial, factual and even relatively uninteresting about this new home of mine. I thought I would share the best of the best with you.
...RI is the smallest state in size in the US, covering an area of 1,214 square miles, running 48 miles from North to South and just 37 miles from East to West...
...The first circus in the US was held in Newport, RI in 1774...
...RI was the last of the original 13 colonies to become a state...
...RI never ratified the 18th Amendment - prohibition...
...RI has no county government. It is divided into 39 municipalities each having its own form of local government...
...RI is home to the Tennis Hall of Fame...
...The world's largest bug is on the roof of the New England Pest Control building in Providence. It is a big blue termite, 58 feet long and 928 times the size of an actual termite...
...Rhode Islanders were the first to take military action against England by sinking one of her ships, "The Gaspee", in Narragansett Bay between Newport and Providence...
...Rogers Williams, the founder of RI, established the first practical working model of Democracy after he was banished from Plymouth, MA because of his "extreme views" concerning freedom of speech and religion...
...The era known as The Industrial Revolution started in RI with the development and construction in 1790 of Samual Slater's water-powerted cotton mill in Pawtucket...
...The White Horse Tavern was buillt in 1673 and is the oldest operating tavern in the US...
...Settled in 1642, Pawtuxet Village in Warwick lays claim to being New England's oldest village...
...The Redwood Library and Athenaeum in Newport is the oldest library building in the US...
...Portsmouth is home to the oldest schoolhouse in the US. The school was built in 1716...
...Since 1785, Bristol has the longest running, unbroken series of 4th of July Independance Day observances in the US...
...On May 4, 1776 RI was the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain and declare independance...
...Pelham Street in Newport was the first street in the US to use gas-illuminated streetlights...
...RI is the primary center for jewelry manufacturing in the US...
...The first traffic law was created in 1678, when authorities banned galloping horse on local streets in Newport. In 1904, the first speeding ticket was also given in Newport...
Quite a bit of interesting things for such a small state, eh? If I ever come across anything else, I'll be sure to share it with you all. I'll close for now, but hope that your 2008 is treating you magnificently so far.
CURRENT MUSICAL OBSESSION: "HATE THAT I LOVE YOU" BY RIHANNA AND NEO
