FUN
FACTS
Page One, Page Two
STATUE
OF LIBERTY 
As we stated
in our "This Week in History" section, this week marks the anniversary
of when France presented the United States with the Statue of Liberty.
Here are some "Fun Facts" about the Statue of Liberty. # The Statue
of Liberty is located in New York Harbor.
It was
built by Frederic Bartholdi. He came up with the idea for the monument
in 1865. Work began on the statue in 1875 and was finally finished in
Paris in 1884.
The statue
was taken to the United States in pieces because it was too big to take
in one piece. The statue was actually put in 214 different crates and
then taken to America by boat and by plane.
The Statue
of Liberty is the tallest statue in the world. The statue stands taller
than a 25-story building when you include the base. It weighs 225 tons
total, of which 100 tons are copper and 125 tons are iron and steel.
To give you an idea of how heavy this is, a car weighs about one ton
or 2,000 pounds. The weight of the Statue of Liberty is about 250 cars
piled on top of one another! # The Statue of Liberty was given to the
United States by the people of France as a gift of friendship. It is
one of our country's symbols of freedom.
FACTS ABOUT NIAGARA
FALLS 
Niagara
Falls is also in our "This Week in History" section. Here is a brief
history and some "Fun Facts" about Niagara Falls.
The word
"Niagara" comes from the Iroquois Indian word "Onguiaahra" which means
"the strait".
Niagara
Falls has been called "the honeymoon capital of the world".
Niagara
Falls is located between the Canadian and United States border. It is
located in both the Province of Ontario (in Canada), and the State of
New York (in the United States).
Three
different falls actually make up Niagara Falls. These three falls are
named: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Canadian/Horseshoe Falls.
Niagara
Falls is the second largest falls in the world next to Victoria Falls
in southern Africa. Niagara Falls is 167 feet high and 2,600 feet long!
At the
bottom of the falls, the water travels 15 miles over many gorges until
it reaches the fifth Great Lake-Ontario.
One fifth
of all the fresh water in the world lies in the four upper Great Lakes-
(Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, and Lake Erie). All of the
outflow from these rivers empties into the Niagara River and then eventually
flows over the falls.
Huge ice
blocks are formed at the bottom of the falls during most winter months.
SPORTSWOMEN OF THE
YEAR
We talked
about two of the women who were named "Sportswomen of the Year" in a
Sports Zone article. Now let's learn a bit more about these two amazing
athletes.
Juli
Inkster:
- Born on
June 24, 1960 in Santa Cruz, California
- Her height
is 5 foot 7 inches.
- She attended
college at San Jose State University.
- She was
the first person, male or female, to win three Amateur titles in a row
in the years 1980 through 1982.
- She was
California's "Amateur of the Year" in 1981.
- Inkster
joined the LPGA, (Ladies Professional Gold Association), in 1983 and
won her first title in her fifth start.
Mia
Hamm: 
- Full name
is Mariel Margaret Hamm. She is married to Christian Corry who is a
Marine Corps Pilot.
- Mia was
born on March 17, 1970 in Selma Alabama.
- She is
5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds.
- Mia was
the youngest player ever to play with the U.S. National Team at age
15 years and 140 days.
- She attended
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).
- At UNC
she was a four-time member of the NCAA champion UNC soccer team (1989-1993).
- Mia was
named an All-American player three times while playing at UNC.
- When her
soccer career ended at UNC she had scored 103 goals, 72 assists, and
278 points.
- The number
she wore on her shirt while playing at UNC was retired in 1994. She
was # 19.
VENUS FUN FACTS 
The planet
Venus is named in our "This Week in History" section. Let's now learn
more about the planet that is the second planet from the sun.
Venus is
the name for the goddess of love and beauty. The planet was probably
named Venus because it was the brightest of the planets known to the
ancient people.
Venus is
the second planet from the sun and the sixth largest planet.
People
have known about Venus for a long, long time. It is the brightest object
in the sky except for the moon and the sun.
Venus is
sometimes thought of as Earth's sister planet because the two planets
have some similar features. For example, Venus is only slightly smaller
than Earth and both surfaces have very few craters. However, Venus and
Earth have very many differences. For example, the atmosphere on Venus
is about the same pressure at the depth 2.2 miles (or 1 kilometer) deep
into the earth's ocean. Also Venus' atmosphere is composed mostly of
carbon dioxide and not oxygen. Very thick clouds are in Venus' sky and
these clouds keep the temperature on the surface of Venus over 400 degrees!
This temperature is hot enough to melt lead!
On a clear
night, Venus may be seen by looking up in the sky.
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