Kites

Hi Puzzlers,

Just the other day I was driving by the park and notice a couple of kids flying kites. The brightly colored kites against the blue sky and the children bundled up like little snow-babies running through the snow was a beautiful site. I have seen children flying kites many times in the summer months but never in the winter.

Historians estimate that kites have been flying in our sky for at least 2000 years and many believe kites originated in China and the South Seas. “One legend suggests the first kite was made when a Chinese farmer tied a string to his hat to keep it from blowing away in a strong wind.” Kite flying was most likely invented for fun, but has had many uses thoughtout the years.

Militaries throughout the globe have used kites for target practice, and as bombs by attaching explosives to the kite and sending it over enemy lines, or by igniting it and crashing it into an enemy ship. Kites were used as a form of airmail between Maryland and Virginia during the American Civil War and during WWI kites were used for enemy observation and signaling. Kites in “WW II were provided with life rafts and intended for use in raising emergency antennas when sailors needed to abandon their ships.”

The scientific community has used kites for wind and weather research and to raise meteorological instruments and cameras into the skies. Most famous is Ben Franklin's use of a kite to prove that lightning was an electric phenomenon.

Kites were also used for measuring distances when it was difficult or dangerous to physically walk to another location. A rope would be attached to the kite and it was then flown over to the other side. This technique was used in the building of the bridge across Niagara Falls (New York to Canada) and to carry telephone wires.

One of the most unusual uses of kite power came from George Pocock in 1822. George used a pair of kites to pull a carriage; this use saved him on taxes as road taxes at the time were based on the number of horses a carriage used. Some of his trips would record speeds between 20 and 100 miles per hour!

Today’s kite uses include kite sailing, kite surfing, kite skiing and kite buggying.

Happy Puzzling!

Circus Thrills

Hi Puzzlers,

Wouldn’t you agree that our Circus Thrills puzzle by Mary Thompson captures a great piece of American history? How many of you remember your first time at the circus? Just hearing the circus was coming to town could get one filled with excitement and wonder. I even imagined a few times I would sneak away and become a circus performer and travel the country too. For many, the circus was the only opportunity to see live exotic animals, and performers.

The first circus to come to the United States was brought in by an Englishman named John Bill Ricketts. On April 3, 1793 Ricketts opened the first circus building in Philadelphia. It was such a hit that by season’s end George Washington himself attended a show. Unfortunately the amphitheater burned to the ground in 1799 and Ricketts would die the following year, but not before America had caught circus fever.

At that time (1799-1865) the circus consisted of basically three different types of acts first the menagerie, with exotic animals on display; second, troupes of diverse acts, including juggling, acrobatics and riding; and third, the combined acrobatic show and menagerie. All three were popular, but it was combination circus and menageries that would eventually become the standard for the traveling circus. In 1833 Isaac A .Van Amburgh (considered to be the first animal trainer) entered a lion’s cage and stuck his arm and head inside the mouth of the large cat, thus ushering in a new era in menageries and audience excitement.

In 1841 P.T. Barnum opened Barnum’s American Museum, which was a far cry from the typical museum. Barnum had on display “Chinese jugglers, serpent charmers, glassblowers, ventriloquists, performing fleas, Native American chiefs performing war dances, trained chickens and dogs, an orangutan, a knitting machine and a scale model of Paris.” But his display of hoaxes, including the Fejee Mermaid, the Cardiff Giant mannequin and the introduction of the smallest man in the world, General Tom Thumb, would have people talking and wondering for years.

Unfortunately the traditional circus is becoming a thing of the past so hurry and bring your young loved ones to a circus or show near you.

Happy Puzzling!

Route 66

Hi Puzzlers

Every time I see our Route 66 puzzle I get filled with curiosity. I try to envision what it would have been like traveling that highway in the 1930’s and then again in the 1950’s. Would I fear for my life or be getting my kicks?

Between 1916 and 1921, Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma and John Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri are said to have been instrumental in promoting the idea of a highway which would link Chicago and Los Angeles. Once their lobbying efforts were combined with the 1925 government expanded legislation for public highway construction, Route 66 would soon be underway. The official number 66 was assigned to the route in 1926.

Approximately 210,000 people migrated to California to escape the despair caused by the Dust Bowl of the 30s, which by 1934 had affected an estimated 100 million acres of farmland, thus Route 66 quickly became known as the “road to opportunity.” In the early years it was common to travel Route 66 in caravans which provided protection and assistance. During the depression years thousands of unemployed men from every state worked as laborers on road gangs to complete the final miles of highway.

“Completion of this all-weather capability on the eve of World War II was particularly significant to the nation's war effort. The experience of a young Army captain, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who found his command bogged down in spring mud near Ft. Riley, Kansas, while on a coast-to-coast maneuver, left an indelible impression. The War Department needed improved highways for rapid mobilization during wartime and to promote national defense during peacetime. At the outset of American involvement in World War II, the War Department singled out the West as ideal for military training bases in part because of its geographic isolation and especially because it offered consistently dry weather for air and field maneuvers.”

After the war many of the service men from the east coast chose to relocate to the warmer climates of the west and southwest with Route 66 facilitating their journey. Route 66 meant people no longer had to stay local and the west was an adventure waiting to happen. As a result gas stations, hotels, motels, restaurants, souvenir shops and entertainment spots sprang up along the highway offering tourists and weary travelers a place to rest and relax.

“As a result some of these small businesses developed into corporations, building franchised locations in state after state. Soon travelers deserted the small eateries, gas stations, and tourist camps located in the center of towns for the familiarity of heavily-advertised McDonalds, Whiting Brothers, and Howard Johnson.”

By 1970 most of Route 66 had been by-passed with four lane highways and it was officially removed from the US Highway System on June 27, 1985. Recently Historic Route 66 has begun to return to maps and the actual signs include historic information.

Happy Puzzling!

Winter Birds

Hi Puzzlers,

Yesterday while sipping my morning cup of coffee, gazing, bleary eyed, out the window I noticed a couple of blue jays searching the ground for food. It got me thinking that it would be nice to have a bird feeder or two of my own so I could watch birds every morning! Ah, it’s little pleasures like this that make life grand. Then panic set in as I thought about making them dependent on me for food and what if I forgot to feed them!

Well, it turns out that birds find 80 percent of their food on their own and 20 percent from bird feeders, which increases their odds of surviving the winter. Some birds even store food. Crows, nuthatch, chickadee and jays, to name a few, have memorized where they store food (tree bark or under leaves…) and can even find it 6 months later. Birds also follow a daily route to gather food, so, if your feeder happens to be empty don’t worry, he will eat at the next feeder. But be sure to fill your feeder as soon as possible to ensure the birds keep your feeder on the route.

If you are looking to attract different species you will need to have different types of food in feeders hung at different levels. Black oil sunflower seeds attract several different types of birds including cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, goldfinches and chickadees. The goldfinch love Nyger even more than thistle, though it tends to be more expensive. Are you sick of squirrels and blue jays eating your sunflower seeds and scaring the other birds? Then try the smaller white safflower seeds.

Another must-have is suet. Suet is made of animal fat and other “yummy” bird treats that attract insect eating birds. Unlike us birds use massive amounts of energy (up to 10,000 calories a day) and any extra fat in their diet is good. Another great thing to keep in mind is that the birds that feed on Suet love to feed on the bugs found in your summer gardens. Don’t you just love a natural pesticide?

Also, please remember to provide fresh water for your visiting birds (unfrozen water is hard to find in the winter months) and to clean your bird feeder occasionally with a 10 percent solution of bleach. This will help reduce the spread of disease.

Happy Puzzling!