The Wonder Book of Knowledge: The Marvels of Modern Industry and Invention, the Interesting Stories of Common Things, the Mysterious Processes of Nature Simply Explained
History
The Wonder Book of Knowledge: The Marvels of Modern Industry and Invention, the Interesting Stories of Common Things, the Mysterious Processes of Nature Simply Explained
Industrial arts -- History
Maine and Maryland each come from abroad, Maine being called after the
Province of the same name in France, and Maryland after Queen Henrietta
Maria of England, consort of Charles I; while Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi and Missouri are all from the native Indian
language, meaning, in the order in which they are given, “place of great
hills,” “fish weir,” “sky-tinted water,” “great father of waters” and
“muddy;” and Montana traces back to the Latin word “montanus,” meaning
“mountainous.”
Nebraska is another Indian name, and means “water valley;” while Nevada
is Spanish, meaning “snow covered;” New Hampshire and New Jersey are
both from across the water, the former after Hampshire County in
England, and New Jersey after the Island of Jersey at the time when Sir
George Carteret was its Governor; New York and both North and South
Carolina were also named after monarchs abroad, New York after the Duke
of York in England, and the Carolinas after Charles IX of France; while
North and South Dakota bring us back to the Indian language again,
meaning “allies.”
Ohio and Oklahoma are both Indian, too, Ohio meaning “beautiful river,”
and the latter, “Home of the red men;” while Oregon is from the Spanish
word “oregano,” which stands for the wild marjoram, a plant abundant on
the coast; Pennsylvania traces back to the Latin, meaning “Penn’s woody
land;” the Philippine Islands come from the Spanish words “Islas
Filipinas,” after King Philip; and Porto Rico is also Spanish, from
“Puerto Rico,” meaning “rich port.”
Rhode Island is called after the Island of Rhodes; Tennessee, Texas and
Utah are all Indian, Tennessee meaning “river with the great bend,”
Texas coming from several different forms of very old Indian language,
meaning “friends,” and Utah after the tribe by that name, also called
the “Utes;” Vermont is from the French, meaning “green mountains,” and
Virginia is called after Elizabeth, the “Virgin Queen” of England.
Washington gets its name from a good, straight American source--George
Washington; West Virginia is so called because it was formerly the
western part of Virginia; and Wisconsin and Wyoming are both Indian, the
former meaning “gathering of the waters,” and the latter, “great
plains.”
The Story of Coal Mining
An interesting story is told in an English book by Edward Cressy, of the
great coal strike in 1912. Many factories and workshops had to close for
want of fuel. A workman from one of these, on reaching home, purchased a
sack of coal and set it up against the back door. Then he sat in the
kitchen, in which there was no fire. From time to time, when he felt
chilly he got up, flung the sack of coal across his shoulders and ran
around the yard until he became warm. That was his way of saving fuel.
He was only doing in his own fashion what all engineers and
manufacturers are trying to do in other ways all the year round.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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