Universal Studios

The Universal Studios also called Universal City Studios or simply Universal is a movie studio located in Los Angeles, California. It’s one of the six largest movie studios in United States.

Founder of Universal is considered the German Jewish immigrant Carl Laemmle. In 1909 Laemmle along with partners Abe and Julis Stern established the Yankee Film Company. The company was rapidly becoming an Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP). In 1912 the IMP was united with eight smaller companies so to become the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. It was under the management of Mark Dintenfass, Charles Bauman, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers and Laemmle himself as its president. Several years later the company was already known as Univesal Pictures Company, Inc.

In 1915 the Universal City Studios was opened to the public. Since its opening it became the greatest studio in Hollywood.

In 1928, on the occasion of 21st birthday of his son, Carl, Jr., Laemmle appointed him director of Universal Pictures. Some of the most famous productions released by Carl, Jr. were the 1929 part-talkie version of Edna Ferber’s novel Show Boat, the musical Broadway, the King of Jazz, the Imitation of Life, the My Man Godfrey as well as a number of long-running series of horror movies, including the Frankenstain, Dracula and The Mummy.

In 1936 control of the Universal Studio was taken over by Standard and the Laemmles were removed from the leadership of the company.

Under the new management the Universal focused on making mainly smaller-budget productions such as westerns, melodramas and serials. Hits among the company productions were the movies Three Smart Girls, Destry Rides Again, Arabian Nights as well as the series The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, Sherlock Holmes and Inner Sanctum Mysterious.

In 1962 Universal Pictures became a part of the Music Corporation of America agency, mostly known as MCA. During its management, the Universal experienced a great development with blockbusters as E.T: The Extra Terrestrial, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Airport, The Sting, American Graffiti and Earthquake.

In 1990, MAC founded the new organization MCA/ Universal Home Vide Inc. which was concentrated in the production of videotapes and DVDs.

On the distribution and financing of various films, the Universal has often cooperated with other smaller companies such as Imagine Entertainment, Morgan Greek Productions, Working Title Films, Amblin Entertainment, Shady Acres Entertainment, StudioCanal, Beacon Communications LLC and Marc Platt Productions.

Address:
Universal Studios
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City
Los Angeles
CA 91608
United States

Tel: 818 622 3801

Statue of Liberty - New York

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most significant and well-known landmarks of the United States. Officially named Liberty Enlightening the World, the statue represents the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.

It’s a statue of a woman wearing a stola, a radiant crown and sandals, trampling a broken chain. Her right hand, holding a torch is raised high while her left hand carrying a tabula ansata table written on it the date of the Declaation of Independence.

The statue is a central figure in the Statue of Liberty National Monument, managing by the National Park Service.

The idea of the statue to be given as a gift to the United States to celebrate the Centennial of the American Declaration of Independence belonged to the politician and sympathetic writer of the history of the United States, Édouard René de Laboulave.

Participation in fundraising for the establishment of the statue took both French and American people. With this purpose, in France were organized public donations, a number of entertainments, among which the great performances of La liberté éclairant le monde (Liberty enlightening the world) by composer Charles Gounod at Paris Opera as well as 2,250,000 francs (250,000$) were collected by a charitable lottery. In the United States, the required funds were provided through art exhibitions, benefit theatrical events, auctions and prize fights.

The construction of the Statue of Liberty was entrusted to the French sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi. The creation of the iron pylon and the secondary skeletal framework on the statue were assigned to the designer Gustave Eiffel who also used the help of structural engineer Maurice Koechlin in implementation of the detailed work.

The statue building process was finished in France in July 1884. Because of lack of money the pedestal of the tower was not completed at that time. The following year, aboard the French frigate Isère , the statue was transported to the United States. On April 22, 1886 the pedestal was finally constructed and on October 28 the Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled by President Grover Cleveland in front of thousands of spectators.

The whole statue is made of pure copper, standing at a height of 93 metres.

Address:
Statue of Liberty
Liberty Island
New York City
NY 10004
United States

Tel: +1 212 363 3200

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as The Met, is located on the eastern edge of Central Park in New York City, USA. The wide range of displays recognised the museum as one of the largest in the world.

It was established in 1870 with the support of the American citizens including businessmen, financiers, famous artists and thinkers of the day. Their main purpose in creating the museum was to serve as an educational centre for all the American people.

On February 20, 1872, the museum was officially opened at 681 Fifth Avenue in New York City. For its first president was appointed John Taylor Johnston. Luigi Palma di Cesnola became the museum’s first director. The publisher George Palmer Putnam served as museum’s founding Superintendent and the artist Eastman Johnson was considered as Co-Founder of the museum.

In 2007 the size of the museum was already 20 times bigger than it was in 1880, occupying over two million square feet and a length of nearly quarter mile.

The Metropolitan Museum holds art collection from classical antiquity, Ancient Egypt, American and modern art, African, Asian, Oceanic, Byzantine and Islamic art, collections of musical instruments, costumes, accessories, antique weapons and armor as well as a number of paintings and sculptures from almost all the European masters.

Egyptian art is represented by more than 36,000 displays from the Paleolithic era through the Roman era. Among the most significant of them is a set of 24 wooden models of boats, gardens and scenes depict the Egyptian daily life in the early Middle Kingdom. Here is also the Temple of Dendur as well as one of the oldest item a set of Archeulian flints from Deir-el-Bahri.

The American decorative arts department is consisted of about 12,000 displays from the late 17th to the early 20th century. Here is the amazing collection of American stained glass including pieces by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the silver collection represents by a great number of pieces by Paul Revere and also many works by Tiffany & Co.

The Modern art galleries host a collection of Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein, Jasper John’s White Flag, Max Beckmann’s triptych Beginning, Jackson Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm as well as forty paintings by Paul Klee.

The Asian Art collection contains over 60,000 items among which are displays of Chinese calligraphy and paintings, Nepalese and Tibetan works as well as a Ming Dynasty-style garden court.

The Islamic art department includes a collection of miniature paintings from Iran and Mughal India, ceramics and textiles items, different styles of calligraphy and a number of interior pieces representing the renovated Nur Al-Din Room from an early 18th century house in Damascus.

Among the most interesting musical displays at the Met museum are the collections of Stradivari violins and Asian instruments made from precious metals as well as the oldest piano, a 1720 model by Bartolomeo Cristofori.

The department of Arms and Armor is one of the museum’s largest collections. It consist weapons and armor from dynastic Egypt, the Roman Empire, the ancient Greece, Near East, Africa, Oceania as well as variety of items belonged to kings and princes such as Henry VIII of England, Henry II of France and Ferdinand I of Germany.

The museum has paintings by Monet, Cézanne, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Georges de La Tour, El Greco, Botticelli and many more.

The European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection is house to more than 50,000 displays, mainly focused on Renaissance sculpture and decoration.

Address:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
Fifth Ave at 82nd Street
New York
10028-0198
United States

Tel: 212 535 7710

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited attractions in the United States as well as one of the largest protected sites in the eastern part of the country.

The park is an International Biosphere Reserve and since 1988 has also been included in the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve. In 1983 was listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The first settlers in the park area were the Cherokee Indians. They inhabited the region in the 18th and early 19th century. In 1830 the Indian Removal Act was signed which forced many of the Indians to leave the region although there were few who stayed. Some of their descendants still live in the Qualla Reservation south of the park.

The establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park became possible thanks to the financial support of John D.Rockefeller, Jr., the U.S. government and also some private citizens from Tennessee and North Carolina who were organized in assembling the park land, piece by piece. In 1934 the park was officially opened.

Total area of the park reaches 2,108 km², including sixteen mountains and over 10,000 species of plants and animals.

The height of the mountains varies from 26 m at the mouth of Abrams Creek to 2,025 m at the summit of Clingmans Dome.

Flora in the park is represented by more than 1,400 flowering plant species and over 4,000 species of non-flowering plants as well as above 100 species of trees, among which are the deciduous leafy trees and the coniferous trees.

The park is home to over 200 species of birds, 66 species of mammals, 50 species of fish, 39 species of reptiles and also 43 species of amphibians.

A great part of the park has a humid continental climate with a very high level of humidity and precipitation.

There are two main centers within the park area, the Sugarlands Visitors’ Center and the Oconaluftee Visitors’ Centre. Both centres offer visitors a wide variety of books, maps, souvenirs as well as many displays related to the wildlife, geology and the history of the park.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park host a significant number of historical monuments such as Cades Cove, Roaring Fork, Cataloochee, Elkmont also the Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill at Oconalufte.

Address:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Park Headquarters Rd.
Gatlinburg
TN 37738
United States

Tel: 865 436 1200

Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are amazing waterfalls located on the Niagara River, between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York

The waterfalls are distinguished not so much with height but more by their width. They are the most powerful waterfalls in North America, serving as a highly esteemed source of hydroelectric power.

It’s not quite sure how the waterfalls have received their present name. The Iroquoian scholar Bruce Trigger claims that the name “Niagara” was borrowed from the name of a group of local residents known as the “Niagagarega”.

It is supposed that the very first people who observed and gave a detailed description of the waterfalls were Samuel de Champlain, Pehr Kalm, Paul Ragueneau, Louis Hennepin and Jean de Brébeuf.

After the American Civil War, the Niagara Falls were described by the New York Central as a lovely place for pleasure and honeymoon visits.

In 1897, the first steel archway bridge called Whirlpool Rapids Bridge was established near the waterfalls.

After the First World War the access to the Niagara Falls became possible for automobiles.
The Niagara Falls was formed by the Wisconsin Glaciation about 10,000 years ago. Similarly, the North American Great Lakes and the Niagara River were created.

Due to the process of erosion the original Niagara Falls shifted about 6.8 miles southward instead of being closer to the sites of present-day Queenston, Ontario and Lewiston, New York.

The Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls are the two divisions of the Niagara Falls.
The width of the Horseshoe Falls is about 2,600 feet and the height is approximately 173 feet.
The width of the American Falls is 1,060 feet while the height varies between 70-100 feet.

During the peak flow season, the quantity of the water is usually about 202,000 cubic feet per second. It reaches 100,000 cubic feet per second during the summer months but in the winter the amount of water reduces to about 50,000 cubic feet per second.

The various indicators of the power of water are managed by the International Niagara Board of Control.

Times Square - New York

Times Square is one of the world’s most visited attractions and is located in Manhattan, New York City.

Times Square is an area that is found at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets.

The Times Square is a significant landmark of the city of New York and it is known for its spectacular animated and digital advertisements.

Previously named Longacre Square, Times Square got its present name in 1904.

Along with the growth of New York City Times Square enjoy a growing stature as well. It gradually became a cultural centre, hosting a number of theatres, music halls and hotels. It also became a place where important events are held, such as a World Series and a presidential election.

During the 1910s and 1920s, the Times Square was among the most visited areas in Manhattan. This was the reason that it got the nickname The Tenderloin. It was also the time when Times Square became a place of crime and corruption, represented by gambling and prostitution.

In the mid-1990s, the mayor of the New York City Rudolph Giuliani marked the beginning of the programme, which seeks to eliminate the existing bad reputation of the city by increasing the security and opening many more tourist attractions as well as many upscale establishments.

Times Square is the only neighbourhood in Manhattan which is authorized to demand from the building owners to set illuminated signs.

The signs in Times Square are known as “spectaculars” and the greatest of them are called “jumbotrons”.

In 1992 the Times Square Alliance took a decision to make the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the area much better.

Today, Times Square hosts ABC’s Times Square Studios, a Toys "Я" Us store, Hershey’s and M&M stores also a great number of theatres and several restaurants such as Ruby Foo’s, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Carmine’s as well as Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar. There are also headquarters of many media, publishing and financial firms.

At Times Square on the 2002 New Year’s celebration, the new mayor of the city of New York became Michael Bloomberg.

Old Faithful Geyser - Yellowstone

There are many famous geysers found across the world but none as famous as Old Faithful in the United States, Yellowstone National Park.

Old Faithful is found in the Yellowstone National Park within the state of Wyoming and is a much loved natural formation by the people of the United States and this is why it is seen as a major attraction to visitors of Yellowstone National Park.

The geyser Old Faithful was the first of all the geysers in the national park to receive a name and was given its name on September 18th 1870 by an expedition called the Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition.

Part of the reason Old Faithful gets its name is because the geyser erupts usually without fail every sixty five minutes if the last eruption occurred for less than two and a half minutes or ever ninety one minutes if the last eruption was longer than two and a half minutes. The reason why the geyser can be almost clock work in its eruptions is because it has its own thermal feature and is not connected to the rest of the Upper Geyser Basin in the park.

When eruptions occur they can shoot over thirty one thousand litres (8,400 US Gallons) of boiling water up to fifty six metres in the air making it an inspiring and beautiful sight to behold.

Old Faithful isn’t the biggest or largest of the geysers in the park but as its name suggests it is the most predictable meaning visitors can be sure to see an eruption occur.

Its very common to see hundreds of visitors to Yellowstone National Park waiting for long periods just to catch one glimpse of the Old Faithful geyser erupting.

If you are visiting Yellowstone National Park then a visit to Old Faithful is a must as you are sure to be enthralled by this wonderful natural geyser.

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