DID YOU KNOW THAT...?

According to a Spanish saying, the one who has a daydream and indulges in an overly brilliant, illusory future “builds castles in the air”. For Americans, this takes place in a more specific place: Spain, since on the other side of the Atlantic the saying goes “to build a castle in Spain.”
(Published in Época, June 29-July 5, 2007)

Did you know that... the US has its own Union Jack?

From 1960 to 2002, US Navy warships used the so-called Union Jack, a flag consisting of the upper left corner of the national flag –50 white stars on a blue field— symbolizing the union of the states.  Since the Global War on Terrorism started in 2002, the Union Jack has been replaced with the Rattlesnake Jack, which had already been used during the US War of Independence.
(Published in Época, February 16-22, 2007)

Did you know that... Spain established almost 70 forts and prisons in the US?

The Spanish founded 69 forts and prisons during the 16^th and 17^th centuries in the USA, in the states of Arizona (19), California (23), North Carolina (1), Florida (48), Georgia (16), Louisiana (1), New Mexico (51), Texas (45), and Virginia (1).
(Published in Alba, February 9-15, 2007)

Did you know that... there are more El Cid statues in the US than in Spain?

American sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) built four of the five most famous statues of El Cid.  Three of them are in the US (San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington), and the fourth in Seville.  The Spaniard Juan Cristóbal made another statue of the Campeador, which is in Burgos.
(Published in Alba, February 2-8, 2007)

Did you know that... the biggest collection of beverage cans is in the USA?

The Museum of Beverage Containers is in Millersville, Tennessee.  The collection, started in the 1970’s by Tom Bates, is made of around 400,000 cans of all times and brands.
(Published in Época, February 2-8, 2007)

Did you know that... there are more than 50 religious confessions in the USA?

207 million Americans say they are members of a religious group, up to 56 groups.  133 million are Christians, 51 million of whom say they are Catholic.
(Published in Alba, January 26-February 1, 2007)

Did you know that... 7 of the 11 women who have won the Nobel Prize in the area of science are American?

Seven of the eleven women who have won the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry, or medicine carried out their research in the US: Barbara McClintock, Gerty Cori, Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, Rita Levi-Montalcini, Gertrude Belle Elion, and Linda B. Buck, awarded with the Nobel Prize in Medicine, and Maria Goeppert Mayer, with the Nobel in Physics.
(Published in Época, January 19-25, 2007)

Did you know that... Benjamin Franklin was corresponding member of the Spanish Royal Academy of History?

Franklin had studied Spanish since he was 26 years old, and in 1749 his interest in this language made him include it in the curriculum of the Academy of Philadelphia, later to become one of the first US universities.
(Published in Alba, January 19-25, 2007)

Did you know that... the US dollar symbol ($) is of Spanish origin?

Symbol “$” is, according to some historians, a stylization of a stamp with two ribbon-wreathed pillars of Hercules and the motto Plus Ultra.  The stamp used to be written on the Spanish coins minted in the Mexican mint (columnarios), and on the gold and silver bars that were sent from the Americas to Spain.
(Published in Época, January 12-18, 2007)

Did you know that... there are five places named Toledo in the US?

The places called Toledo are in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington.  The first two took their name from the Spanish town of Toledo, while the other three took it from the city located in Ohio.
(Published in Alba, January 12-18, 2007)

Did you know that... Antonio Cánovas del Castillo received an Oscar?

Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, the great-nephew of the homonymous Spanish statesman, won an Oscar for best costume design in 1971 for his work in Nicholas and Alexandra, which he shared with Yvonne Blake.
(Published in Época, January 5-11, 2007)

Did you know that... the Spanish founded more than 200 missions in the USA?

In the US, there are the remains of more than 200 missions founded by different Spanish religious orders during the 16th and 17th centuries.  Those missions are located in Arizona (19 missions), California (23), North Carolina (1), Florida (48), Georgia (16), Louisiana (1), New Mexico (51), Texas (45), and Virginia (1).
(Published in Alba, December 22-28, 2006)

Did you know that... there are several towns named Madrid in the USA?

In the US there are three towns called Madrid, located in Alabama, Iowa, and Nebraska; there is also a town called New Madrid in Missouri.
(Published in Alba, December 15-21, 2006)

Did you know that... the first European who arrived in the USA was Spanish and gave the name to Florida?

The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521) was the first European who arrived to what was to become the US.  He disembarked on the eastern coast on Palm Sunday, 1513, and gave the name of “Pascua Florida” to the territory.  This name was the origin of the name of the present state.
(Published in Época, December 1-7 2006)

Did you know that... the US Congress honors a Spanish monk since 1931?

The Capitol, the seat of the US Congress (in Washington), contains a gallery with 50 statues, the National Statuary Hall, which honors the main historical figures of the States of the Union.  The statue of Franciscan monk Father Junípero Serra (1713-1784) represents California and acknowledges his efforts as an explorer of that land and founder of nine missions.
(Published in Alba, December 1-7, 2006)

Did you know that... Islamic religion is one of the most growing religions in the USA?

It is estimated that there are from 2 to 7 million Muslim Americans, 17% to 30% of whom would be converts to that faith.  The number of mosques is estimated at more than 1,200; many of them have been founded in the last 20 years.
(Published in Alba, November 24-30, 2006)

Did you know that... a Spaniard might have been the first European who celebrated Thanksgiving in the USA?

Traditionally, it is considered that the first Thanksgiving celebration on US soil was held in 1621 by the crew of the Mayflower, but some historians defend that it was held in 1541 by the Spaniard Juan de Padilla during the expedition by Vázquez de Coronado to Palo Duro Canyon (Texas).
(Published in Época, November 24-30, 2006)

Did you know that... the first Spaniard who won an Oscar was Juan de la Cierva?

Juan de la Cierva, the nephew of the inventor of the autogyro, received an Oscar for the invention of the Dynalens optical image motion compensator.  This revolutionary system, which eliminates camera movement, vibration and out-of-focus effects, was used for the first time in the film Tora, Tora, Tora (1969), in which this Spanish engineer took part.
(Published in Época, November 17-23, 2006)

Did you know that... the oldest city in the US was founded by the Spanish?

Saint Augustine is the oldest city in the US.  Located in Florida, it was founded with the name of San Agustín by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on September 8, 1565.
(Published in Época, October 20-26, 2006)

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