The Disneyland Railroad is a 3-foot (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage
railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland
Resort in Anaheim, California, in the United States. Its route is 1.2
miles (1.9 km) long with four train stations, encircling almost
everything in the park. The rail line, which was built by WED
Enterprises, is operated with two steam locomotives built by WED and
three historic steam locomotives originally built by Baldwin Locomotive
Works. The attraction originated as a concept created by Walt Disney,
who drew inspiration from the ridable miniature Carolwood Pacific
Railroad built in his backyard. Since 1955 when the Disneyland Railroad
first opened to the public at the park's grand opening, it has been
consistently billed as one of the top attractions, and for many years
visitors had to buy a top-tier ticket to ride the train. It is one of
the world's most popular steam-powered railroads, with an estimated 6.6
million passengers served each year.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_Railroad>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1461:
Ming general Cao Qin staged a failed coup against the Emperor
Yingzong.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebellion_of_Cao_Qin>
1782:
The Badge of Military Merit, the precursor to the United
States' Purple Heart award, was established as a military decoration in
the Continental Army.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badge_of_Military_Merit>
1933:
An estimated 3,000 Assyrians were slaughtered by Iraqi troops
during the Simele massacre in the Dahuk and Mosul districts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simele_massacre>
1942:
World War II: U.S. Marines initiated the first American
offensive of the Guadalcanal Campaign with landings on Guadalcanal and
Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tulagi_and_Gavutu%E2%80%93Tanambogo>
1987:
Lynne Cox became the first person to swim across the Bering
Strait, crossing from Little Diomede to Big Diomede in 2 hours and 5
minutes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Cox>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
nene:
The Hawaiian goose, Branta sandvicensis, which was designated the state
bird of Hawaii in 1957.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nene>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
When the country goes temporarily to the dogs, cats must learn to
be circumspect, walk on fences, sleep in trees, and have faith that all
this woofing is not the last word. What is the last word, then?
Gentleness is everywhere in daily life, a sign that faith rules through
ordinary things: through cooking and small talk, through storytelling,
making love, fishing, tending animals and sweet corn and flowers,
through sports, music and books, raising kids — all the places where
the gravy soaks in and grace shines through. Even in a time of
elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the
campfires of gentle people.
--Garrison Keillor
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Garrison_Keillor>