AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING - XLIV

1. The Lake Ponchartrain Causeway Bridge is the longest over-water bridge in the world. At 24 miles long, it spans Lake Ponchartrain from Metairie (New Orleans) to Mandeville in southwestern Louisiana. It is so long, a photo of the bridge shows the curvature of the earth. Built in 1956, it is one of the most spectacular bridges in the world - and also one of the scariest. The bridge is only 16 feet above the water and land cannot be seen by motorists in the middle eight miles of the span. The bridge has its own police department. The Causeway Police respond to over 2,000 calls for assistance annually, including having to rescue drivers who become anxious and disoriented. Some are so panic-stricken, they stop their cars in the middle of the roadway and have to be driven off the bridge by the officers.

2. The original Monopoly street names are from Atlantic City, New Jersey and can still be found in the city today.

3. The original title of the song that became The Star Spangled Banner was "The Defense of Fort McHenry."

 

4. The current U.S. flag is its 27th version.

5. Corn is the most important farm crop in America.

 

6. Boring, Oregon has partnered with Dull, Scotland to declare August 9 international Boring Day.

 

7. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri is 630 feet high, making it the tallest man-made monument in the United States. 

 

8. Wisconsin has over one million cows, and 90% of the milk is used to make cheese.

 

9. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. is the most-visited museum in the United States - attracting nine million visitors yearly.