Photo by Galen C. Dalrymple, copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
Today’s photo is again from the Temple of Luxor, in Luxor, Egypt. It was magical to walk around the temple with the lights lit and to have the place all to ourselves! One could almost hear the footsteps of the ancient pharaohs as they came to be enthroned in this city that once was the capital of Egypt (mostly during the New Kingdom period).
Our Egyptologist guide made sure to tell us multiple times that Luxor is designated as an “outdoor museum” by UNESCO (I think). He also told us one statistic that blows my mind if it is true: that of all the ancient artifacts in the world, fully one-third are to be found in Luxor and its nearby environs. I’ve been trying to confirm that statement, but thus far haven’t been able to do so. He was an Egyptian who was very proud of the heritage of his country, but as a guide, he has to take 4 years of university and pass knowledge tests, so perhaps he’s right.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY: in 1888, one of the worst blizzards in American history struck the Northeast, killing more than 400 people and dumping as much as 55 inches of snow in some areas. New York City ground to a near halt in the face of massive snow drifts and powerful winds from the storm. At the time, approximately one in every four Americans lived in the area between Washington, D.C. and Maine, the area affected by the Great Blizzard of 1888.
On March 10, temperatures in the Northeast hovered in the mid-50s. But on March 11, cold Arctic air from Canada collided with Gulf air from the south and temperatures plunged. Rain turned to snow and winds reached hurricane-strength levels. By midnight on March 11, gusts were recorded at 85 miles per hour in New York City. Along with heavy snow, there was a complete whiteout in the city when the residents awoke the next morning.
Despite drifts that reached the second story of some buildings, many city residents trudged out to New York’s elevated trains to go to work, only to find many of them blocked by snow drifts and unable to move. Up to 15,000 people were stranded on the elevated trains; in many areas, enterprising people with ladders offered to rescue the passengers for a small fee. In addition to the trains, telegraph lines, water mains and gas lines were also located above ground. Each was no match for the powerful blizzard, freezing and then becoming inaccessible to repair crews. Simply walking the streets was perilous. In fact, only 30 people out of 1,000 were able to make it to the New York Stock Exchange for work; Wall Street was forced to close for three straight days. There were also several instances of people collapsing in snow drifts and dying, including Senator Roscoe Conkling, New York’s Republican Party leader.
Many New Yorkers camped out in hotel lobbies waiting for the worst of the blizzard to pass. Mark Twain was in New York at the time and was stranded at his hotel for several days. P.T. Barnum entertained some of the stranded at Madison Square Garden. The East River, running between Manhattan and Queens, froze over, an extremely rare occurrence. This inspired some brave souls to cross the river on foot, which proved a terrible mistake when the tides changed and broke up the ice, stranding the adventurers on ice floes. Overall, about 200 people were killed by the blizzard in New York City alone.
But New York was not the only area to suffer. Along the Atlantic coast, hundreds of boats were sunk in the high winds and heavy waves. The snowfall totals north of New York City were historic: Keene, New Hampshire, received 36 inches; New Haven, Connecticut, got 45 inches; and Troy, New York, was hit by 55 inches of snow over 3 days. In addition, thousands of wild and farm animals froze to death in the blizzard.
In the wake of the storm, officials realized the dangers of above-ground telegraph, water and gas lines and moved them below ground. In New York City, a similar determination was made about the trains, and within 10 years, construction began on an underground subway system that is still in use today. – The History Channel
TRIVIA FOR TODAY: Globally, the French rank #1 in cheese consumption, at about 54 pounds per person annually. By comparison, Americans eat about 42 pounds of cheese per person annually.
Twolfgcd's Blog (Galen Dalrymple) 