Idlewild and Soak Zone is a family amusement park situated in the
Laurel Highlands near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles (80 km)
east of Pittsburgh, along US Route 30. Founded in 1878 as a campground
along the Ligonier Valley Railroad by Thomas Mellon, Idlewild is the
oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania. It has won several awards,
including five from Amusement Today as the second-best children's park
in the world. The park was established by the Mellon family in 1878,
and remained family-owned for over 100 years. The park expanded greatly
through the first half of the 20th century, adding rides including a
Philadelphia Toboggan Company Rollo Coaster in 1938, one of the
company's earliest. The park is home to the Ligonier Highland Games, a
Scottish athletic and cultural festival that has annually drawn over
10,000 spectators. In 1983, the park was purchased by Kennywood
Entertainment Company, which oversaw additional expansion, including an
attraction designed and voiced by Fred Rogers based on his television
show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idlewild_and_Soak_Zone>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1707:
Under the terms of the Acts of Union, the Kingdoms of England and
Scotland merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, a single kingdom
encompassing the entire island of Great Britain with a single
parliament and government based in Westminster.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain>
1786:
The Marriage of Figaro, an opera buffa composed by Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Figaro>
1840:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland first issued the Penny
Black , the first official adhesive postage stamp.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Black>
1851:
The Great Exhibition, the first ever World's Fair, opened in London's
Hyde Park.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Exhibition>
1898:
The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey defeated the
Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo at the Battle
of Manila Bay, the first engagement of the Spanish-American War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_Bay_%281898%29>
1956:
A doctor in Japan reported an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the
central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata
disease.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
mizzenmast (n):
1. (nautical) The third mast from the bow on a ship having three or
more masts.
2. (nautical) The shorter, aftward mast of a ship having two masts,
such as a ketch or yawl
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mizzenmast>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul.
--Joseph Addison
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Addison>