Following two scrubs, the space shuttle Discovery was scheduled to leave today, but the picture shows the top of the external fuel tank (centre) under the space shuttle which is seen sitting on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. A crack was discovered in the foam insulation surrounding the tank and this now threatens today's launch. - REUTERS
IF YOU'RE anywhere near media of some kind, then you'll know that in the United States today, it's Independence Day. This is one big country and there's plenty of interesting facts to learn about it.
SOME STATE NICKNAMES
Georgia - Peach State
Utah - Beehive State
Kansas - Sunflower State
Idaho - Gem State
New Mexico - The Land Of Enchantment
Arizona - The Grand Canyon State
Kentucky - The Bluegrass State
North Dakota - Sioux State; Flickertail State; Peace Garden State; Rough Rider State
Wyoming - Equality State
STATES AND CAPITALS
Four state capital names begin with the same letter as the state. They are Dover in Delaware; Honolulu in Hawaii; Oklahoma City in Oklahoma; and Indianapolis in Indiana.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
With 50 states, numerous districts and towns, you're bound to come up with a few howlingly funny names and those that just make you raise your eyebrows. Thirteen of the more interesting ones are:
Intercourse, Pennsylvania
Blueballs, Pennsylvania
No Name, Colorado
Monkey's Elbow, Kentucky
Hot Coffee, Mississippi
Chicken, Alaska
Embarrass, Minnesota
Toad Suck, Arkansas
Gay Mills, Wisconsin
Aces OF Diamonds, Florida
Okay, Oklahoma
Yeehaw Junction, Florida
Love Ladies, New Jersey
DON'T BE FOOLED
Hear the name of a few places and it might mislead you as to where it is. For instance what state is Kansas City in? Missouri of course! Who would have thought about Kansas?
WHO'S NUMBER ONE?
Vermont is the top producer of maple syrup in the United States.
North Dakota ranks first in the nation's production of spring and durum wheat.
Mount McKinley, Alaska, is the highest point in the U.S. at 20,320 ft or 6198 metres.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT STATES
The Castilian and Burgundian flags of Spain, the Mexican flag, the Confederate flag and the flag of the United States have all flown over the land area that has become Arizona.
Virginia was named to honour Queen Elizabeth of England often referred to as the "Virgin Queen."
The name New York can refer to any one of three geographical levels: a state, a city in that state, or a county
The official name of Rhode Island is "the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."
South Dakota is the only state in which the names of the state and the capital do not share any letters. The capital is Pierre.
The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the U.S. of A, the States, and America, is a country in North America. A federal republic, the United States shares land borders with Canada and Mexico, and extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Washington, D.C.
It now consists of 50 states, one federal district, and a number of overseas territories.
At over 3.7 million square miles (over 9.1 million km2), the U.S. is the third largest country by area. Home to nearly 300 million people, it is the world's third most populous nation.
Information gathered from http://www.infoplease.com/, www.legendsofamerica.com, www.netstate.com, www.floydpinkerton.net and en.wikipedia.org.
