Softball is played with a larger ball than baseball and on a smaller field. Softball was invented as an indoor game in 1887, Chicago, Illinois. Because originally the larger ball used in the game was soft, the name softball was officially attached to game in 1926. The first official women’s softball team was formed in 1895 at Chicago’s West Division High School. However, the team played without a coach until 1899, and there was still little spectator interest in the women’s game of softball. The attitude quickly changed in 1904 when Spalding’s Indoor Baseball Guide had an entire magazine section featuring women’s softball. In the early days of women’s softball, a slow looping pitch was used because the general attitude about a woman’s fragility caused many to believe a fast pitch could break a woman’s bones. Of course, society’s attitude matured and now women softball pitchers throw a fast pitch underhanded with amazing speed and accuracy. The first world championship of woman’s softball was held in 1965 with five competing teams in Australia. In 1996, woman’s fast-pitch softball became a medal sport at the Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
A thick January morning fog covers the west side of Manhattan. From an apartment window, 51 stories up, one can see the taxis, with other vehicles, creep along Amsterdam Avenue heading uptown. In 1808, John Randall, Jr. laid out the plans for New York City's street system. He designed a gridiron system of north-south avenues crossed at right angles by east-west streets. His gridiron spanned the area of east Houston Street to 155th Street. This system is still in use today.
The Bethesda Terrace Arcade is the underground passageway to and from Central Park's Bethesda Terrace. The main feature of the Arcade is the Minton tile Ceiling. It is the only known example of Minton encaustic ceramic tiles used in a suspended ceiling. The Arcade was designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould. The ceiling is made up of 15,876 elaborately pattered encaustic tiles, which were handmade by Minton and Company—a leading 19th century manufacturer in Stokes-on-Trent, England. Completed in 1869, the Arcade was completely restored in early 2007. In January 2009, four vandals were caught defacing the restored Arcade with spray paint graffiti requiring a reported $100,000 to repair the damage.
Under The Seat—"Nothing Runs Like A Deere"
John Deere, avoiding bankruptcy, moved to Grand Detour, Illinois in 1836 where he set up shop as repairman and maker of pitchforks and shovels. Deere observed the iron or wooden plows used by the farmers easily got stuck in the rich Midwestern soil, requiring the farmer to frequently stop and clean the soil from the plow. A process that made the plowing of a field slow and laborious. In his workshop, Deere made a plow from a Scottish steel saw blade, creating a self-scouring steel plow. The invention of the smooth-sided steel plow by Deere, significantly aided farming migration to the American Great Plains during the 19th and early 20th century. The company’s slogan, “Nothing Runs Like a Deere” and its logo of a leaping deer, with “John Deere” under it, has been used for over 155 years. Today the company manufactures a plethora of equipment used in all sorts of industries.
On June 30, 1977, trucks and airplanes replaced the railroad mail car as the main mover of United States mail. Movement of mail by train began in 1832 after businesses and members of the public complained mail delivery by horse or stagecoach was too slow. Beginning in 1864 all mail in transit was beginning to be distributed by railroad mail cars. Assistant Postmaster William A. Davis in St. Joseph, Missouri is credited with creating the rolling post office to process and distribute United States mail. As the train neared the station, the route agent would toss out the processed mail bag through the big open door of the mail car. Then as the train left the station, the agent snatched the unprocessed mail bag hanging on a pole next to the track with a hook (catcher arm) extended from the rail car. Along the route to the next station the agent sorted, processed and prepared a new mail bag to toss to the next station, grabbed the next mail bag on the route and did it all again.
In 1853, Charles Frederick Worth asked his wife, Marie, to wear clothing he designed for potential buyers. Soon the use of “house models” became common among Parisian fashion houses, and modeling as a profession was born. There were no standards regarding physical measurements. Designers used various size women to show variety in their designs. Today, most agencies require women between 5’9” and 6’0” tall—men 5’11’ and 6’3” tall. Fashion photography expanded the modeling profession to include photo modeling. Still, most models remained anonymous and poorly paid for their work. In 1946, Ford Modeling Agency created by Eileen and Gerald Ford opened its doors. One of the most popular models during the 1940s was Jinx Falkenburg who earned the huge sum of $25 per hour for her modeling time. By the 1980s, women were earning enough to make modeling a full time career, traveling abroad and throughout Europe. The rates paid to models continued to rise. In 1990, model Linda Evangelista said to Vogue magazine, “We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day”. Soon rates paid supermodels soared much higher. In 1990, Maybelline contracted with model Christy Turlington to pay her $800,000 for twelve days work each year.
Give My Regards to Broadway—Third Place 2015
The Producers, Mel Brooks’ hit musical, ended its six year New York run after 2,502 performances on April 22, 2007. The show is responsible for creating the era of Premium Tickets where theater goers paid as much as $480 for the best seat in the house. Now all Broadway shows include with their ticket sales Premium Tickets, where the price is anywhere from $100 to $250 more than regular price tickets. The New York theater district was not always located in the area known today as Times Square. During the 1870s the Union Square area in Southern Manhattan near Broadway and 14th Street was the main theater district. At the beginning of the 20th century the city boasted of thirty-three theaters, but there was demand for more as the population moved north. In 1904, subway service began. Eleven lines converged at 42nd Street and Broadway’s Times Square became the obvious choice for a new theater district. It made it possible for New Yorkers to easily and quickly get to the theater and back home. As of late 2016, there were forty-one legitimate theaters in Times Square.
Cruise ships, including the Queen Mary II, regularly embark and debark passengers from Piers 88, 90, and 92 at the New York City Passenger Ship Terminal on the West Side of Manhattan. In 2004, New York City invested $200 million in capital improvements at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal to secure its position as a first-class passenger cruise terminal. With upgrades to the docking facilities and a $4 million dollar investment in passenger boarding bridges, Pier 88 and Pier 90 are able to serve the world’s largest passenger ships. Starting in 1984, the Unites States Navy docks an aircraft carrier and other ships at the west docks during the week long Fleet Week. During the week, demonstrations and tours are open to the public. It is estimated 4,500 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen participate in the various activities.
Top To Bottom—Girona, Spain Third Place 2014
During the 12th century, a Jewish community thrived in Girona, with one of the most important Kabbalistic schools in all of Europe. The Kabbalah teachings intend to explain the relationship between the Creator, mortals and the universe. The Kabblah scriptures are not included as a part of the traditional Jewish scriptures. Kabbalah doctrine is accepted by some Jews and rejected by other Jews as heretical and conflicting with Judaism. The term Kabbalah is now the main descriptive term for Jewish esoteric knowledge.
In the wild, Zebras live together in family groups where members maintain strong bonds over many years. Family members watch out for one another. If one is separated from the family, the other zebras search for the missing member. Although every zebra in a herd appears to look alike, the strip patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints are for humans. Individual zebras are identified by comparing patterns, strip widths, colors and scars.
Bridge For Sale?—First Place 2019
May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was dedicated by President Chester A. Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland. It took 14 years and 27 fatalities to build the pedestrian bridge over the East River to connect the cities of Brooklyn and New York. Upon completion, the Brooklyn Bridge was at that time the largest suspension bridge ever built. John Roebling, who designed the bridge, pioneered the design and construction of suspension bridges, and is credited with a major innovation in suspension bridge technology. In his bridge designs, he added a web truss at each end of the roadway, which significantly stabilized the structure. Previous suspension bridges often failed in strong winds or when under heavy load. In 1869, while Roebling took final compass readings across the East River, a boat smashed his toes on one foot. Three weeks later he died of tetanus. His 32 year old son, Washington A. Roebling, took over as chief engineer. Watertight chambers were sunk into the East River, and compressed air pressurized the chambers allowing underwater construction. Unfortunately, little was know about the risks involved in working under such conditions. More than a hundred workers suffered compression sickness—the “bends”. Compression sickness is caused by nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream when there is rapid decompression. Washington, after spending time in the underwater chamber, became bedridden in 1872 as the result of the bends. From then on, his wife, Emily, carried daily instructions to the workers as he watched work continue from his bedroom window. George C. Parker, who is known as America’s Greatest Con Man, sold the Brooklyn Bridge twice a week for 30 years. Police often had to stop the “new owners” for putting up toll booths on the bridge.
Ballet first appeared in the Italian Renaissance courts during the 13th century as entertainment for nobles. Ballet began without tutus or pointe shoes. The dancers wore the fashionable clothing of the time and even encouraged audience members to join in toward the end. When Catherine de Medici married King Henry II of France, she arranged for ballet to be performed at the French court. She held festivals, ballet de cour, which became popular. The French influence continued with King Louis XIV, who having grown up seeing ballet, popularized and standardized ballet. A technique and syllabus was created and ballet became an art form requiring disciplined training by professionals. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the tutu and pointe shoes were introduced to ballet. In 1832, the ballet “La Sylphide” was created to showcase Marie Taglioni’s en pointe dancing. Until then, pointe shoes were considered an ungraceful stunt. The tutu premiered in Paris, France in 1842 to highlight and bring greater appreciation to a ballerina’s difficult leg and foot work.
In the wild, Zebras live together in family groups where members maintain strong bonds over many years. Family members watch out for one another. If one is separated from the family, the other zebras search for the missing member. Although every zebra in a herd appears to look alike, the strip patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints are for humans. Individual zebras are identified by comparing patterns, strip widths, colors and scars. Third Place 2015 Birmingham Zoo
All Night Every Night—First Place 2015
Manhattan diners, what some New Yorkers call their kitchen, are found on almost every block in the city. Every New Yorker has his or her favorite—some more than one. New York diners have multipage menus with a large selection of entrées and side dishes. And, if you can't find it on the menu—most will fix it for you anyway. Whether you're craving breakfast, lunch, brunch, supper, dinner, or just dessert the diner is the place to go. Unfortunately, New York’s diners are an endangered species as more and more of them close. Some believe it is because New Yorkers are experiencing a food culture change where people seek new and high-end restaurant food. However, diners closing their doors for good appears to be about rent costs and not cuisine. New York diners are simply getting priced out of the market. Diners can’t pay higher rents and make a profit. Sad, but true, the reality of the New York real estate market is that when landlords raise rents, someone is always willing to pay the higher price.
In the mid 1980s, Cafe Pacifico was located at 78th and Columbus Avenue on the West Side of Manhattan. Offering a pasta menu, with loud danceable music to dine by, the Cafe Pacifico drew huge crowds. Diners, who snagged hard to get reservations, waited at the bar sipping Pink Pacificos up to one and a half hours before being seated. Pacifico opened on New Year’s Eve with an oasis theme. Interior lighting was deep royal blue, with model Cadillacs hanging form the ceiling. Life size fiberglass camels, palm trees and zebra stripe upholstery completed the effect. For Valentine, waiters and waitresses wore Marilyn Monroe wigs. A huge Oscar like statue stood in front of a female torso, which appeared to have spread its legs. The display caused a women’s group to threaten the cafe with a brick through the window.
Over the Top - London, England Third Place 2008
The London Eye, built for the millennium, sits at the center of London as a symbol of modern Britain. Since its opening in 2000, the London Eye attracts 3.5 million paid visitors per year. The wheel is 442 feet high with a circumference of 1,392 feet. Thirty-two capsules can carry 800 passengers during each thirty minute rotation. The slow rotation allows passengers to step on and off without stopping the wheel. On a clear London day, passengers can see as far as Windsor Castle, about twenty-five miles from the London Eye.
