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This Day in History
Feb 9
Hollywood
Joanne Woodward earns first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1960
On this day in 1960, the official groundbreaking ceremony is held for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The first star to be dedicated on the historic walkway…
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Long Island
island in the Atlantic Ocean that comprises the southeasternmost part of New York state, U.S. The island lies roughly parallel to the southern shore of Connecticut, from which it is separated to the north by Long Island Sound.
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Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls produces much of the state's hydroelectric power, and has become a tourist destination for millions of Americans.
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Midway Islands
unincorporated territory of the United States in the central Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles (2,100 km) northwest of Honolulu. The islands, near the western end of the Hawaiian archipelago, comprise a coral atoll with a circumference of 15 miles (24 km), enclosing two main islands, Eastern (Green) and Sand.
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Aleutian Islands
chain of small islands that separate the Bering Sea (north) from the main portion of the Pacific Ocean (south) and extend in an arc southwest, then northwest, for about 1,100 miles (1,800 km) from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula to Attu Island, Alaska, U.
amusement and residential area in the southern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York, U.S., fronting the Atlantic Ocean. Formerly an island, it was known to Dutch settlers as Konijn Eiland (“Rabbit Island”), which was presumably Anglicized as Coney Island. It became part of Long Island after Coney Island Creek silted up to form a sandbar (about 5 miles [8 km] long and 0.25–1 mile [0.4–1.6 km] wide) between Gravesend Bay (north), Sheepshead Bay (east), and Lower Bay (south).
Coney Island developed into an amusement area at the turn of the 20th century. The coming of the subway in 1920 greatly enhanced its accessibility and further boosted its popularity. Coney Island became one of the best-known amusement parks in the United States, with its 3.5-mile (5.6-km) Boardwalk fronted by a sand beach. Numerous concessions were developed with rides, exhibitions, restaurants, and souvenir shops. The amusement areas began to decline after World War II, and only a fraction of the attractions remained by the early 21st century. The Sea Gate district at Coney Island's western end is a residential section, and a large housing project occupies the site of Luna Park (closed 1946), one of the area's earliest amusement parks. In 1957 the New York Aquarium opened on the Boardwalk.
Copyright © 1994-2009 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com.
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