Steps: 3,898,836
Miles: 1634.16
Miles to Massachusetts: 19.84
In 1524, the Italian navigator Giovanni Verrazano made the first visit to Rhode Island by a European adventurer. It is from Verrazano’s descriptions of the Rhode Island coastline and islands that the state derives the first part of its name. Verrazano made his famous trip, searching for an all-water route through North America to China. After landfall at Cape Fear, North Carolina, about March 1, 1524, he proceeded up the coast to the present site of New York City to anchor in the Narrows, now spanned by the giant bridge which bears his name.
From there, according to his own account, he sailed in an easterly direction until he "discovered an island in the form of a triangle, distant from the mainland ten leagues, about the bigness of the Island of Rhodes" which he named Luisa after the Queen Mother of France. This was Block Island, but Roger Williams and other early settlers mistakenly thought that Verrazano had been referring to Aquidneck Island. Thus they changed that Indian name to Rhode Island, and Verrazano inadvertently and indirectly gave the state its name.
It was either that or it was named "Roode Eylandt" by Adriaen Block (for whom Block Island is named), Dutch explorer, because of its red clay. I personally like this explanation better myself.
The State Flag of Rhode Island
Placed on a white field is a circle of thirteen gold stars representing the first thirteen states. The stars surround a gold ship's anchor. The state's motto "Hope" is on a blue ribbon below the anchor.
The Rhode Island Red Hen, a chicken, became Rhode Island’s official state bird on May 3, 1954 - Rumor has it, the lawmakers celebrated this feat by going to the (one and only) local KFC.
8 comments:
KFC? They had a KFC in 1954? Amazing!
The "Colonel" opened his chicken shop in 1930, invented the "secret recipe in 1940, and sold the first KFC franchise in 1952.
The first bucket was sold in 1957, so the Rhode Island lawmakers were deprived the delight of the greasy circular cardboard.
LMAO at the KFC However, it's very interesting to know how a lot of these places got their names
.oO(thank goodness I decided to eat lunch while reading this...the KFC reference woulda made me hungry!)
extra crispy or original recipe on the Rhode Island reds?
For you Trivial Pursuit players, "Extra Crispy" was introduced in 1974...
I'm kind of partial to extra crispy myself - but rarely have KFC.
I like both explanations about how Rhode Island was named. I've always wondered about it, since it obviously isn't an island.
Interesting... And the flag sounds really nice looking.
I like the "red clay" explanation best too. :)
I spent a few days on Rhode Island last summer and I fell in love with the place..... oh how much would I love to live there....
ps..... we do NOT eat KFC in this house, not after watching a clip of how they treat their chickens...... ya know, now we have Janet, Mabel and Cedric... :)
x
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