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Around 77 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period, North America looked vastly different from today. A shallow inland sea, the Western Interior Seaway, split the continent into two landmasses: Laramidia in the west and Appalachia in the east.
Laramidia, a narrow strip along the western coast, was a haven for dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and duck-billed hadrosaurs. Appalachia, separated by the seaway, had its own unique ecosystems. Dense forests, swamps, and evolving flowering plants dominated the landscapes, while marine reptiles like mosasaurs and ammonites thrived in the seaway.

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Greenland is farther east, west, north, and south than Iceland.

Greenland holds the fascinating distinction of stretching farther east, west, north, and south than its neighboring island, Iceland, making it a unique geographical marvel. This extraordinary fact is rooted in the sheer size of Greenland, which is the largest island in the world, spanning over 2.16 million square kilometers, compared to Iceland's relatively modest 103,000 square kilometers.

Greenland's westernmost point, Cape Alexander, reaches farther west than Iceland's Snæfellsnes Peninsula. To the east, Greenland’s Cape Nordostrundingen extends well beyond Iceland's easternmost point near Gerpir. In the north, Greenland's Kaffeklubben Island holds the title of the northernmost point of land on Earth, far surpassing Iceland’s northern limits at Rifstangi. Similarly, in the south, Greenland’s Cape Farewell extends farther into the North Atlantic than Iceland’s southernmost point at Kötlutangi.

This remarkable range is due not only to Greenland's vast size but also to its position straddling the Arctic. Its territory stretches across both the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, giving it a greater reach in all directions. In contrast, Iceland, while geologically unique and located at the boundary of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, is much smaller and more compact in its extent.

Greenland's vast dimensions emphasize the stark difference between the two islands in terms of scale and geographic influence. This comparison highlights the incredible diversity of the North Atlantic region, showcasing how two neighboring islands can differ so dramatically in size, shape, and global positioning.
 
How long is a day on each of the Planets ??

On Mercury a day lasts 1,408 hours, and on Venus it lasts 5,832 hours. On Earth and Mars it’s very similar. Earth takes 24 hours to complete one spin, and Mars takes 25 hours. The gas giants rotate really fast. Jupiter takes just 10 hours to complete one rotation. Saturn takes 11 hours, Uranus takes 17 hours, and Neptune takes 16 hours.
 
Tony Packo was a native of Toledo’s East Side. He was born in 1908, just a stone’s throw from Consaul and Genesee Streets. Tony learned the restaurant business while working for his older brother, John, who owned the Consaul Tavern located on what is now the Original Tony Packo’s parking lot. In 1932, Tony and his wife, Rose, received a $100 loan from relatives to open a sandwich and ice cream shop. Mind you this was during the hardest of hard times, the first years of the Great Depression.

Tony’s signature sandwich, sausage with sauce on rye, was created when he decided to add a spicy chili sauce to enhance the flavor of the sandwich. He used a Hungarian sausage called Kolbasz but because it was so large, decided to cut it in half. Not only did it resemble the size of an American hot dog, he could sell it for 5 cents, a deal during those tough times. Because Tony was Hungarian-American and lived in a Hungarian neighborhood, Tony’s creation was called the Hungarian hot dog. Those who knew the Old Country’s food say there was no such thing as a Hungarian hot dog, until Tony invented it.

Packo’s food was an instant hit in the neighborhood and word quickly spread around town about the delicious new hot dog at Tony Packo’s restaurant. By 1935, due to the success of the sandwich and ice cream shop, Tony and Rose were able to buy a building of their own. They purchased a wedge-shaped establishment at Front and Consaul Streets, which, over the years grew in size and fame as it became home to what is today’s Original Tony Packo’s Restaurant.

The Most Popular Buns in the Midwest​

In 1972, Burt Reynolds was starring in a production of “The Rainmaker” at a Toledo auditorium. At the suggestion of Tony’s daughter, Nancy, Reynolds stopped by the restaurant to enjoy a meal after one of his shows. When asked for his autograph, Reynolds picked up a hot dog bun and signed it! Thus began the tradition of “bun signing”. Since that time, celebrities from all walks of life have been asked to sign a Packo “bun”, which is now a foam replica of the real thing. Buns signed by presidents, actors, musicians, astronauts and more can be seen in all Packo restaurant locations.

The M*A*S*H Connection​

Tony Packo’s gained world-wide fame when M*A*S*H character Corporal Maxwell Klinger, who was played by Jamie Farr, another Toledo native, made mention of the Packo restaurant in six episodes of the show. In a 1976 episode, Klinger says, “If you are ever in Toledo, Ohio, on the Hungarian side of town, Tony Packo’s got the greatest Hungarian hot dogs.” With those words, Klinger put Packo’s on the map. In another episode, the M*A*S*H hospital ordered a batch of sausage casings from Packo’s to use in a blood-filtering machine. In yet another episode, Klinger spends time talking with a wounded soldier from Toledo. They share stories about their favorite places, including Tony Packo’s. When the soldier returns home he sends Klinger a shipment of Packo’s hot dogs as a thank you gift. Packo’s was also mentioned in the two-and-a-half hour final episode of M*A*S*H. Photos of the M*A*S*H cast, their signed buns, and other M*A*S*H paraphernalia can be seen hanging in the Original Tony Packo’s restaurant.

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Born in 1886 in Brooklyn, New York, Clarence Birdseye studied at Amherst College before working as a naturalist for several biological departments within the U.S. government.

During an expedition to Labrador, Canada, a young Birdseye observed Inuit fishermen freezing their catch by throwing it onto surface ice. The fish were frozen quickly in the frigid air, and Birdseye recognized that the speed of freezing prevented any frost damage.

He later observed that while slowly freezing food would create large ice crystals and damage the food’s cell structure, rapidly freezing food would preserve its cell structure and allow it to retain close to its original flavor and texture.

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A Legacy of Innovation​

Birdseye understood that providing the public with tasty, nutrient-rich frozen foods would be a very successful business venture. At this time, foods were frozen slowly, and that meant that once they were thawed, they lacked the appealing taste and texture of fresh foods.

Upon his return to New York, in 1924 Birdseye developed and patented a method for packing food into a waterproof, waxed cardboard container and then flash-freezing it. This same year, he launched General Seafoods to begin selling frozen fish. Continuing to innovate, Birdseye introduced a quick freeze double-plate machine in 1926, which is foundational to modern freezing technology.

In 1930, the first retail frozen products were introduced to consumers in Springfield, Massachusetts. To help sales efforts, Birdseye created and leased special display cases that showcased the products.

Frozen foods gained in popularity in the 1940s and ‘50s, as they made it possible to quickly prepare meals that were often more nutritious than those using canned foods.

Over the course of his lifetime, Birdseye earned nearly 300 patents. Today, Birds Eye Foods continues Birdseye's legacy of innovation in frozen food.
 
Ezra Meeker founded Puyallup.

“ Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) and Ezra Meeker were two notable figures of the American West whose lives intertwined with the frontier's expansion and transformation. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, both men became iconic symbols of the pioneering spirit. Buffalo Bill, famous for his Wild West shows, played a central role in popularizing the myths of the American West. His shows, which featured reenactments of historical events, gunfights, and Native American performances, captivated audiences across the U.S. and abroad, making him a global figure. He is often seen as a representative of the wild, untamed frontier, even though his version of history was highly dramatized.
Ezra Meeker, on the other hand, was a pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail in the 1850s and later became an advocate for preserving the history of westward expansion. He worked tirelessly to mark the Oregon Trail with monuments and bring awareness to the struggles and achievements of the pioneers who crossed the American plains. Meeker’s efforts were more focused on preserving the legacy of the emigrants and the hardships they faced, rather than glorifying the West through spectacle like Cody.
In eastern Nebraska, a place rich with pioneer history, it is likely that these two men came together to speak to schoolchildren and townspeople to share their experiences, educate, and preserve the legacy of the American frontier. Meeker would have shared his personal journey along the Oregon Trail and his efforts to commemorate it, while Cody would have regaled listeners with tales from his Wild West shows and possibly reflect on the myths surrounding frontier life. Together, their appearance would have been a unique opportunity for local communities to learn about both the romanticized and the more grounded aspects of the American West.”

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Sass Muffin said:
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Instruments Prince played

  • Guitar: Acoustic, electric, fuzz, singing, and bass
  • Piano: Acoustic and electric
  • Synthesizers: Mini-Moog, Poly-Moog, Oberheim four-voice, Arp Pro Soloist, and Arp string ensemble
    • Drums: Water, synth, clavinet, bongos, and slapsticks
    • Percussion: Finger cymbals, orchestral bells, woodblock, bell tree, hand claps, and finger snaps
 
Researchers tested the fire safety and strength of hemp blocks, a sustainable building material made from hemp, lime, and water.
The study, published in the Journal of Building Engineering, found that Hemp blocks don’t catch fire with open flames but instead smolder slowly, producing very little smoke. In fact, walls made of hemp blocks stayed structurally intact for 2 hours during fire tests.
In terms of heat tolerance, hemp blocks retained most all of their structural strength up to 200°C (392°F). At 300°C (572°F), they still showed controlled burning without collapsing. The study also suggests that plastering hemp block walls can further enhance their fire resistance, making them even more reliable for building projects.
In short, hemp blocks are not only safer in the event of a fire but are also a sustainable building option. The use of hemp, a fast-growing crop, helps reduce the environmental footprint of construction materials and the minimal smoke produced during fire scenarios makes hemp blocks a safer choice for both occupants and first responders.
That said, hemp blocks have a compressive strength of 1.0 MPa, making them suitable for non-load-bearing walls. This means they aren’t intended for primary structural support but are perfect for walls that don’t carry heavy loads.

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