former railroad trestle in Rosendale in Ulster County, New York.
Originally constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to continue its
rail line from New Paltz to Kingston, the bridge rises 150 feet (46 m)
above Rondout Creek, spanning both Route 213 and the former Delaware and
Hudson Canal. Construction began in 1870; when it opened to rail traffic
on April 6, 1872, it was the highest span bridge in the United States.
The trestle was rebuilt in 1895 by the King Bridge Company to address
public concerns regarding its stability and sturdiness, and it was
repeatedly reinforced until 1977, when Conrail closed the Wallkill
Valley rail line. The bridge was sold in 1986 for one dollar to a
private businessman who tried unsuccessfully to operate it as a bungee
jumping platform, and a similar attempt was made the following decade.
The trestle was seized by the county in 2009 for tax nonpayment, and
renovated for the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail as a pedestrian walkway
that opened on June 29, 2013.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosendale_Trestle>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1320:
The Declaration of Arbroath, a declaration of Scottish
independence, was adopted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Arbroath>
1866:
The Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization
composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American
Civil War, was founded in Decatur, Illinois.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Army_of_the_Republic>
1896:
The first modern Olympic Games (official report pictured)
opened in Athens, with 241 athletes from 14 nations participating in 43
events in nine disciplines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics>
1941:
World War II: The Axis Powers began both Operation Marita and
Directive no. 25, invading Greece and Yugoslavia, respectively.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Yugoslavia>
2009:
A 6.3 Mw earthquake struck the region of Abruzzo in central
Italy, killing 308 people and injuring more than 1,500 others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_L%27Aquila_earthquake>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
facetious:
1. Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour;
flippant.
2. Pleasantly humorous; jocular.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/facetious>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Sleep and death of the senses; tears and the death of the heart.
Do you understand the progression? Sleep, though sad, is gentler than
tears which, though painful, are gentler than death. Ecstasy is more
delightful than song, which is gentler than work. Prayer is superior to
dreaming which is more elevated than manual work.
--Gustave Moreau
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gustave_Moreau>
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