Today is the beginning of Black History Month. Kaitlin would like to do a presentation for me in class (not the public) about Jimi Hendrix. She is going to research his background, the turning point in his life and why she considers him to be someone who should be honored this month. Kaitlin feels Jimi Hendrix may be one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He lived to be only 27-years old. We will be working more on this in upcoming classes.
Using IQ, SAT, and ACT scores, the collection of data can show which states are smarter than others. The United States is a big place and there are plenty of brilliant people living in every state in the country. That being said, some states have a reputation for being a little bit, well, less intelligent than others. Based on the data, here are the top 10 smartest states in the United States: Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Kansas, Vermont, Iowa, New Jersey and Colorado.
Kaitlin is in the process of decorating her room with mini-posters of amazing music icons from the 1960s - the present. (Thank you for the thoughtful David Bowie mini poster, Kaitlin!) Interestingly, a lot of great musicians and groups are from Jacksonville, FL! From Pat Boone in the 1950s to Debbie Harry of Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, 38 Special, Blackfoot, Don Felder of the Eagles, Tom Petty, Limp Bizkit, Tim McGraw and Ariana Grande...just to name a few. Jacksonville, FL is actually considered to be "the birthplace of southern rock" and there are interesting musical tours one can take in Jacksonville, FL today.
is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a 2,430-meter (7,970 ft) mountain ridge.[2][3] Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of the Inca Empire. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province[4] above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometers (50 mi) northwest of Cusco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a tropical mountain climate. Most recent archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later, at the time of the Spanish conquest. We have also established that Kaitlyn was born during the year of the Tiger as the Chinese New Year will be happening soon.
The Taj Mahal is also considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Crown of the Palace')[4][5][6] is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around ₹32 million, which in 2020 would be approximately ₹70 billion.
Petra was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World in 2007. It is also known as the Rose City. Established possibly as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Arab Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction. The Nabateans were nomadic Arabs who benefited from the proximity of Petra to the regional trade routes, in becoming a major trading hub, enabling them to gather wealth. The Nabateans are also known for their great ability in constructing efficient water collecting methods in the barren deserts and their talent in carving structures into solid rocks. It lies in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah, the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.
Did you know the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, is the only man-made structure that astronauts can view on Earth from outer space? The Great Wall is not only known for its long history, but its massive construction size, and its unique architectural style. A great army of manpower, composed of soldiers, prisoners, and local people, built the wall. The construction result demonstrates the wisdom and tenacity of the Chinese people. The construction of the Great Wall began between the 7th and 8th centuries B.C. when the warring states built defensive walls to ward off enemies from the north. It was only a regional project then. Until the Qin Dynasty, the separate walls were joined together and it stretched from east to west for about 5000 thousand kilometers and served to keep nomadic tribes out. The Wall was further extended and strengthened in the succeeding dynasties. Especially during the Ming dynasty when the northern nomadic ethnic groups became very powerful, the Ming rulers had the Wall renovated 18 times. The architectural style of the Great wall is a marvel in the history of construction in the world. The weaponry only consisted of swords and spears, lances, bows and arrows. In ancient times, walls with passes, watchtowers, signal towers, together with moats became an important strategy to ensure the safety of the dynasties.
Today we began to explore the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. We will take some time on each of them because fortunately, they are all still standing today! They are: Machu Picchu, Chichén Itzá, the Roman Colosseum, the Christ the Redeemer statue, The Great Wall of China, The Taj Mahal and The City of Petra. Kaitlyn wanted to explore the Christ the Redeemer statue first as it's a beautifully situated landmark overlooking the gorgeous coastline of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil It is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot and Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida. Built in 1931, it is a wonder to view from afar and on the mountain top overlooking the water and the city. It was great that Kaitlyn chose this one to explore first, as her teacher has actually been there!
