6 Things To Consider

The Delmarva Peninsula occupies portions of three states. It’s named is formed from letters from Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

The peninsula has a land area of nearly 6,000 square miles. There are 2000 miles of coastline for the Chesapeake Bay, 381 miles for the Delaware Bay and 150 miles coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. The highest elevation is 400 feet with most of the peninsula being at 35 feet above sea level.

Nine of Maryland’s 23 counties are located on the Delmarva Peninsula. These being the counties of Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, Worcester and a portion of Cecil County. The Virginia counties of Accomack and Northampton and the Delaware Counties of Kent, Sussex and a portion of New Castle County makes up the rest.

For the first 150 years of the English settlement the peninsula colonial borders were questioned. Maryland felt that the entire peninsula north of the Potomac parallel should be part of the Maryland Colony. The borders between Maryland and Delaware were finally established by the Surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in 1767.

The term Delmarva appears to have been first used in a commercial application. It’s documented that there was a Delmarva Heat, Light, and Refrigerating Corp. of Chincoteague, Virginia in existence in 1913. Calling the region Delmarva didn’t seem to happen until after the turn of the 20th century and perhaps as late as the 1920’s.

A major part of the Delmarva Peninsula’s economy is through agriculture, aquaculture, sports hunting and fishing, and tourism.

Note:
The is the final edition of Delmarva Wednesday. Thanks for reading. Please visit ShoreToBeFun.com The Place to Go for Everything Delmarva.

Depending on who you are and how technical you want to be there are three days that can be classified as the end of summer.

One of those days is the First Day of School. For many, including those who live in my area, the first day of school is August 25. I remember when I was a returning to school, I turn 50 on the 30th of August so I was returning to school in the late 60’s and 70’s, the First Day of School was a day that I looked forwarded to, but only for that first day.

Instant communications was the telephone and many families had one phone and when you called friends, it was a short conversation. A parent, either yours or your friend, would tell you to stop hogging the line and hangup, in case someone has an important reason to call. It was the days before Caller-ID and Call Waiting and that important call was always coming, but never came.

The first day of school was a day where you looked for old friends to see what they did during the summer. Then you’d check schedules and hoped that they were in some of your classes and lunch period. It was always good to have a friend with you in class.

Many friendships changed simply because of being in different classes and especially different lunch breaks. It was also the time to make new friends. Again, it was always good to have a friend with you in class.

Another of those days that many call the End of Summer is Labor Day and Labor Day weekend. When I was a kid, Labor Day and the First Day of School usually came one after the other. Labor Day on Monday and the First Day of School the following Tuesday. Now many school systems start the week before Labor Day.

This day was more like the End of Summer after leaving school and getting a job.

In many businesses, Summer seems to be less stressful than other times of the year. Everyone is either getting ready to go on vacation or coming back from vacation. Water Cooler conversation dealt with either coming or going, your’s or a co-worker. Once Labor Day hit, fewer people took vacations and it was three months of steady work until the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons began.

And for those who have the scientist in their blood, the real official End of Summer occurs at the autumnal equinox. For 2008 this arrives on September 22 at 15:44 UTC or 10:44 EDT. On this day and time the sun will be directly over the equator and we will have the same amount of day as we do night.

Let’s be sure not to miss this End of Summer.

It was on August 25, 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill, National Park Service Organic Act, that created the National Park Service. The agency mission as defined in the bill was “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Prior to this time each each national park was managed independently. Many felt that there was a need for an independent agency to oversee the national parks of the United States. The movement was spearheaded by business magnate and conservationist Stephen Mather.

The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency under the cabinet level Department of Interior. There has been 17 National Park Directors. The first Director was Stephen Mather (1916-1929) and the current Director is Mary A. Bomar, who was approved by the Senate and began on October 17, 2006.

The National Park System is the term that describes the collection of all units managed by the National Park Service. A unit is a physical property owned or administered by the National Park Service. There are 391 units although the term can be confusing since some places may be counted as multiple units and separate places may be considered as one. 58 of these units are classified as National Parks.

Delaware is the only State not to have a ‘unit’ of the National Park System.

The system encompasses approximately 84.4 million acres. More than 4.3 million acres, while controlled by the NPS, remains in private ownership. There are 21,000 buildings, 17,000 miles of Trails and 10,000 miles of roads under direction of the NPS.

Many will write about the medal count at the 2008 Olympic Games and I won’t shy away and not write something so here’s some facts.

One of the facts that is being said by about nearly everyone is that the United States won the most medals (110), but it was the host county China that won the most Gold (51). So here’s all that will be said about that.

81 countries won at least one medal. 19 of these won just one medal and 4 of these, Bahrain, Cameroon, Panama and Tunisia, won just a single Gold medal.

Iceland won a Silver medal, their only one, losing in the final to the French.

India, the country with the 2nd largest population, China is the biggest, won just three medals. A Gold and 2 Bronze.

Georgia, who was attacked by the Russian during the opening ceremony, won 6 medals. 3 Gold and 3 Bronze.

The African country Zimbabwe won a total of four medals. All were by swimmer Kristy Coventry who won a Gold and 3 Silvers.

The United States won a single Bronze medal in Boxing, an event that they once were favorite to win Gold each Olympic year. That medal went to Men’s Heavy Weight Deontay Wilder. Two Bronze medal are given in Boxing, one to each of the Semi-final losers.

Great Britain, the host of the 2012 games in London, won a total of 47 medals, 4th most. There total included 19 Gold, also 4th, 13 Silver and 15 Bronze..

After Lamar Hunt had been turned down by the NFL for an expansion franchise in his hometown Dallas, Texas and he was only offered the chance to purchase 20 percent of the Chicago (Arizona) Cardinals he began thinking about creating a new football league. On August 14, 1959, the six team American Football League (AFL) was formed with teams in Dallas, New York, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. By the time of their first draft two more teams, Boston and Buffalo had also been given franchises.

Even though the Dallas Texans, the Texas name of the franchise was a successful team winning, they finished second in both of the first two years and won the championship in the third, it was obvious to Hunt that the city of Dallas could not sustain two teams. The NFL had given Dallas (Cowboys) a franchise after the AFL was formed. After the 1962, Hunt began looking for a city to move his team with the final decision being to move to Kansas City. The team name was changed to the Chiefs, although initially they were going to keep the name Texans.

In 1967 the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers played in the first AFL-NFL Championship game. Hunt had termed the game “Super Bowl”. He was inspired by his children’s Super Ball. It wasn’t until the third AFL-NFL World Championship Game that the name Super Bowl was officially used, although from the first the name Super Bowl was used by the media. They played in 2 of the first four Super Bowls winning one (IV) after losing the first one to the Packers after playing a close game in the first half. After they won Super Bowl IV, the two leagues merge into one league.

Even though they have not been to a championship game since they are still considered a fan favorite. They have had 149 straight home sell-outs, sure to be increased as the 2008 season begin, and since 1990 have a home won-lost record of 104-40. They play in the AFC Western Division.

There are a number of players that have played for the Chiefs that have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The following uniform numbers have been retired; 16 Len Dawson, Quarterback, 1962—1975; 28 Abner Haynes, Running back, 1960—1964; 33 Stone Johnson, Running back, 1963 (Johnson died as a result of an injury suffered in preseason of his rookie year); 36 Mack Lee Hill, Running back, 1964—1965; 63 Willie Lanier, Linebacker; 1967—1977; 78 Bobby Bell, Linebacker, 1963—1974; 86 Buck Buchanan, Defensive tackle, 1963—1975. Number 18 worn by defensive back Emmitt Thomas will be retired on October 19, 2008.

Len Dawson 16 and Abner Haynes (28) are the only players to have worn those numbers for the Chiefs. The numbers 37 and 58 have not been worn since the deaths of Joe Delaney and Derrick Thomas and are considered unofficially retired.

1933 had a very active summer for hurricanes.  By mid-August there had already been 7 recorded storms with one of them turning into a hurricane.  Beginning on August 17th a storm was detected northeast of the Leeward Islands.  When the center of the storm made landfall of the United States over Norfolk, Virginia as a Category 2 Hurricane.

Hurricanes were not given names prior to 1950 and this storm is commonly referred to as the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane. It was most severe Atlantic hurricane to hit the East Coast since 1821 and caused $27.2 million dollars in 1933 dollars ($368.4 million 2005) of damage and left 18-30 fatalities.

In Ocean City’ Maryland the town’s boardwalk as whole blocks were demolished with the town being flooded. Rail and road links to the mainland were broken. The railroad bridge was never replaced. Damage was estimated at $7.5 million in today’s dollars.

Before 1933 there was a move to cut an path across the Assateague Peninsula to the Sinepuxent Bay. The storm created what is now called the inlet at Ocean City, Maryland and turned the peninsula to Assateague Island.

With the help of Maryland’s US Senator Millard E. Tydings, Maryland was awarded funding to finish the job that the storm began to stabilize the new formed inlet before drifting sands would close it.

In 2003 Hurricane Isabel took a very similar path as the 1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane. Between 1933 and 2003, no other Hurricanes was as severe to Virginia as those.

One Hand Weightlifting
This event was held in each of the first three of the modern Olympic games of 1896, 2004 and 2008. Similar to the modern snatch event, lifters were required to lift the weigh with each hand one hand at a time. Winner was determined from the combined weigh lifted.

Swimming Obstacle Race
In 1900 the 200m Swimming Obstacle Race was held. The event required the competitors to climb over a pole, followed with a scramble over a row of boats, and then swim under another row of boats.

Cricket
Also in 1900 Cricket was played in the games. Only two teams competed, one from England and the other from France. England won the one and only cricket game that has ever been played as a official Olympic sport.

Croquet
1900 must have been a year where just about any games that could have been played was. Croquet has only been an official sport in that year. The French won all of the metals, One Ball Singles, Doubles (only Gold), Singles and Singles Handicap (only Gold). France was the only country to have competitors in the events.

Rope Climb
Rope Climbing was held as part of the gymnastics program in 1896, 1904, 1906, 1924 and 1932. In this event the competitors in a seated position on the floor, and used only the hands and arms climbed a suspended vertical rope.

Tug of War
In each of the games held from 1900 to 1920 one of the events was the Tug of War. Each team had 8 members with the pull lasting for 5 minutes. After the time the one who pulled farther won. If 6 feet the team won regardless of the elapsed time.

Bethany Beach was conceived in 1887 as an eastern seaside resort for the Disciples of Christ Church by Dr. F.D. Power. By 1894 there was a site established for summer camp religious retreats. The first town government was formed in 1902.

From its beginnings Bethany Beach has strived to be a family resort community. Because of this it has become one of Delaware’s finest coastal communities. From the early days when the journey to the town was by rail, water and wagon, and continuing with present day’s highway traffic, the visitors well as seasonal residents and retirees have had an urban background.

Dewey Beach was incorporated in 1981 and may be one of the last municipalities incorporated by the State of Delaware but Dewey Beach’s culture spans more than a century. A U.S Life-Savings Station (141) was built in 1879 with a small community built around it. In 1915 the Life Savings Service was renamed the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Rehoboth by the Sea Development Company developed what is now north Dewey Beach beginning in 1855. Then beginning in 1915, Morgan T. Gum developed the southern part of the area basing it on the same grid system as the northern development. At this time the town was named in the honor of Admiral George Dewey.

Reboboth Beach has always been a place where people go to enjoy the cool beach breezes. The Native Americans often traveled there and both the English and Dutch settlers put down roots in the area. In 1873 after visiting a New Jersey church camp, Wilmington’s St Paul’s M.E. Church reverend Robert W. Todd pursued an idea of starting a similar camp on the Delaware cost. The Rehoboth Camp Association formed and purchased 414 acres from area farmers.

With the coming of the railroad and later a paved road, the area became a place where many people traveled to vacation. Many of them were associated with the politics in Washington. Because of this, it was known as the ‘Nation’s Summer Home’.

The Russian Sputnik space program began the Space Race between the two world powers, the United States and the Soviet Union. On August 19, 1960 with the launch of Sputnik 5 and its return the next day, the first creatures, two dogs, 40 mice, 2 rats and several plants becoming the first Earth-born creatures to go into Earth’s orbit and return alive.

The two dogs Belka and Strelka are considered national heros. Strelka was the mother of a litter of six puppies in which one was given to President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline. The remains of the dogs are preserved. Belka is in a glass case in the Museum of Astronautics in Moscow and Strelka is in a traveling exhibit that have visited many countries including the United States.

The first dog in space, on Spunik 2 launched on November 3, 1957, was on a space craft that was not equip to reenter the astmosphere. Laika, who the American press nicknamed Muttnick, was outfitted with gauges that transmitted vital signs back to earth. She was the only animal that was sent into orbit that the scientist knew would not return. She is part of the Russian monument that honor fallen cosmonauts outside of Moscow.

The first dogs to go into suborbital flight was on August 15, 1951 when Dezil and Tsygan were launched by the Russians.

While the Russians were sending Dogs into space, the United States were experimenting with monkeys. Gordo, a squirrel monkey, was the first going up on December 13, 1958. Gordo died when the capsule sank in the Atlantic upon splashdown.

On May 28, 1959 Able, a rhesus monkey, and Baker, a squirrel monkey were launched to an altitude of 300 miles and returned unharmed. Unfortunately Able died when doctors were removing an electrode. Baker lived to be 27 dying in 1984. The first animal from the United States to orbit the earth was Enos on November 29, 1961, who flew a similar vehicle that would place John Glenn in Earth’s orbit three months later on February 20, 1962.

When Tennessee voted in favor of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, the 36th state to do so, all citizens of the United States were granted the right to vote. Prior to this day many states in the union had not granted women the right to vote.

The text of the amendment is simple and reads:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Since that date every state has formally ratified the amendment, although the remaining ones did not have to do so. The last, Mississippi vote in favor of the amendment on March 22, 1984. They were one of 8 states to have rejected the passage of the amendment prior to its ratification.

The legality of the amendment was brought to the Supreme Court in 1922 in the case Leser v. Garnett. The case involved three claims:
* The power to amend the Constitution did not cover this amendment, due to its character.
* Several states which ratified the amendment had Constitutions which prohibited women from voting, rendering them unable to ratify an amendment to the contrary.
* The ratifications of Tennessee and West Virginia were invalid, because they were adopted without following the rules of legislative procedure in place in those states.

The Supreme Court lead by Chief Justice and Former President William Howard Taft unanimously denied the claims allowing the amendment to stand.

The amendment took two votes in each house to pass. On January 9, 1918 the House passed the amendment by a narrow mark, but the Senate, who didn’t begin debate on it until October voted it down, three votes from passage. The issue became a major one during the 1918 election and after the election he Senate found itself pro-suffage. By June 4, 1919 the Senate approved the amendment.