Random bit of Trivia for the day (Houston, Dallas: home, construction)

[HtownLove]

Did you know that the guy who drew up the original plans for Houston and Galveston, Gail Borden, invented condensed milk and founded the Borden Milk company

[HtownLove]

Did you know that the Allen Brother bought the original land area where Houston was founded for less than $10 000 (less than $1.50 an acre)?

Did you know that the nation's first public broadcasting station went on air in Houston in 1948?

Did you known that Houston was the first word spoken on the moon's surface?

[Willsson]

Originally Posted by HtownLove

Did you know that the guy who drew up the original plans for Houston and Galveston, Gail Borden, invented condensed milk and founded the Borden Milk company

Those plans included the requirement that streets in the town area should be wide enough to turn around a loaded wagon... or something like that.

[elnina]

1. The 610 Loop, a freeway that circles the inner-city section of Houston was originally proposed just prior to World War II as a way of moving troops through the area in a way that they would bypass the downtown section of the city.

2. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in the category of tonnage shipped internationally.

3. It took seven years of digging and dredging to turn Houston's waterfront area into a deep water port in the early 1900s.

4. No city in the United States, other than New York City, has more Fortune 500 companies headquartered there than Houston.

[elnina]

More than 90 languages are spoken throughout the Houston area.

Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world.

In Houston it is illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday.

The first word spoken from the moon on July 20, 1969 was "Houston".

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by elnina

1. The 610 Loop, a freeway that circles the inner-city section of Houston was originally proposed just prior to World War II as a way of moving troops through the area in a way that they would bypass the downtown section of the city.

And it took 23 years to complete the loop, starting with the section between the Gulf Freeway and Highway 225 in 1952, and ending with the Sidney Sherman Bridge over the ship channel in 1975.

The freeway system has been in a constant state of construction and expansion since 1948. Might put some things in perspective for the people who think rail expansion isn't moving fast enough. These things don't happen all at once.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by tofurkey

Those plans included the requirement that streets in the town area should be wide enough to turn around a loaded wagon... or something like that.

Well the streets were set at 80 feet wide and the major ones (like Texas street) was set at 100. For the 1830's that was some really wide streets. A lot of streets today are still not that wide

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by elnina

1. The 610 Loop, a freeway that circles the inner-city section of Houston was originally proposed just prior to World War II as a way of moving troops through the area in a way that they would bypass the downtown section of the city.

I did not know that. Thanks for learning me something new

[HtownLove]

Did you know that:

The Gulf Freeway was completed 4 years prior to the signing of the interstate highway act and so I45 is one of the first Interstate highway in the nation.

the 3 states claiming to be the first all broke ground for their freeways after the act was passed

The Gulf Free way connected Houston and Galveston and was the first freeway in Texas. It was then extended north to Dallas and called the North Freeway (although, people from the north who use it call it the Gulf freeway because they are travelling south).

[cheryjohns]

Originally Posted by elnina

In Houston it is illegal to sell Limburger cheese on Sunday.

It should be illegal to sell that stuff any day of the week.