Interstate 70 in Utah runs east–west for 232.15 miles (373.61 km) across the
central part of the state. Richfield is the largest Utah city served by the
freeway, which does not serve or connect any urban areas in the state. The
highway was built as part of a connection between Los Angeles and the
northeastern United States. I-70 was the second attempt to connect southern
California to the east coast of the United States via central Utah, after a
previous failed attempt at a transcontinental railroad that would partially
serve as the guide for the route of I-70. Unlike most Interstate Highways,
I-70 in Utah was not constructed parallel to or on top of an existing U.S.
Highway. Portions of I-70 were constructed in areas where previously there
were no paved roads. Because it was built over an entirely new route, I-70
has many features that are notably unique in the Interstate Highway System.
The construction of the Utah portion of I-70 is listed as one of the
engineering marvels of the Interstate Highway System. The choice of the
route had a significant impact on the character and culture of the Sevier
Valley. It has also been a motivating factor for environmentalists to create
a new National Park along the path of the highway to protect scenic areas
around the route. I-70 from Green River to Grand Junction, Colorado, is part
of the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway, making I-70 one of the few
Interstate Highways to be named a National Scenic Byway.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_70_in_Utah
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1484:
Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus,
giving Dominican Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer explicit authority to prosecute
witchcraft in Germany.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summis_desiderantes_affectibus)
1492:
Christopher Columbus (pictured) became the first European to set foot on the
island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniola)
1757:
Seven Years' War: Prussian forces under Frederick the Great defeated
Austrian forces under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine at the Battle of
Leuthen in Leuthen, present-day Poland.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leuthen)
1933:
Prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the United States officially ended
when the Twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-first_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Co…
)
1945:
Flight 19, a squadron of five Avenger TBM torpedo bombers of the U.S. Navy,
disappeared in the area now known as the Bermuda Triangle.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19)
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Nidorous (adj) Emitting the odor or taste of roasted meat, especially
rotten meat.
(
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nidorous)
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Leadership means that a group, large or small, is willing to entrust
authority to a person who has shown judgement, wisdom, personal appeal, and
proven competence.
--Walt Disney
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walt_Disney)