The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London.[1] The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, who still jointly own the freehold. It is trapezoidal in shape and is flanked by Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, which converge at Bank junction in the heart of the city. It lies in the ward of Cornhill.
It has twice been destroyed by fire and subsequently rebuilt. The present building was designed by Sir William Tite in the 1840s. The site was notably occupied by the Lloyd's insurance market for nearly 150 years. Today the Royal Exchange contains Fortnum & Mason The Bar & Restaurant, luxury shops, and offices.
Traditionally, the steps of the Royal Exchange are the place where certain royal proclamations (such as the dissolution of parliament) are read out by either a herald or a crier. Following the death or abdication of a monarch and the confirmation of the next monarch's accession to the throne by the Accession Council, the Royal Exchange Building is one of the locations where a herald proclaims the new monarch's reign to the public.
The United States has 63 national parks, which are Congressionally-designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior.[1] National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities. While legislatively all units of the National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of a destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited.[2] National monuments, on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska) are paired with a national preserve, areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in the figures below. The 423 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations.[3]
A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone, was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."[4] Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress; the newest national park is New River Gorge, previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa. A few former national parks are no longer designated as such, or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS),[5] and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR),[6] with eight national parks in both programs.
Thirty states have national parks, as do the territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km2), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park is Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri, at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km2). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.2 million acres (211,000 km2), for an average of 829 thousand acres (3,350 km2) but a median of only 208 thousand acres (840 km2).[7]
The national parks set a visitation record in 2017, with more than 84 million visitors and set a further record in 2018 with a 0.1% increase.[8][9] Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been the most-visited park since 1944,[10] and had over 14 million visitors in 2021.[11] In contrast, only about 7,000 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2021.
Cottage-style homes are often quaint and cozy — emphasizing charm and comfort over ornamentation. Cottage houses come in a variety of styles and can mimic bungalows, Tudor house styles, and more.
Look for these designs to identify a cottage:
- Asymmetrical exterior
- Typically one to one-and-a-half stories
- Traditional aesthetics that aren’t too rustic
- Open floor plans with wide halls and doorways
A cottage house style is extremely versatile, and its small size makes it great for small families or guest houses.
Despite the car initially being built in 1885 in Germany, American manufacturers completely dominated the automotive industry of the mid-twentieth century. Applaud be to Henry Ford, who established the first conveyor assembly line for his Model T on December 1, 1913. This creation reduced the production time of one vehicle from 12 hours to an hour and 33 minutes, making it a lot cheaper. Ford’s goal was to make automobiles accessible to everyone, and he achieved it. Nowadays, around 91% of American households own at least one car.
Suburbanization
Before vehicles became widely available, people who lived in the city worked in the city, while most of those who settled in the country were farmers. Now that it was possible to travel vast distances in a short amount of time, the thought of dwelling away from the bustling downtown while still being able to work there looked tempting. After World War II, many soldiers received an opportunity to live on their property in a single-family home, resulting in a baby boom and a surge in demand for tract houses. Seventy-seven million children had been born by the end of 1964. At that time, the suburbs were booming, with over a third of the population residing there.
The American Road Trip
Cars turned into a symbol of personal freedom and independence, allowing us to travel throughout the nation at will. For many families, the famous American road trip is a ritual. The destination itself, often overlooked, holds little value, as that feeling of liberty and the ability to travel to any desired location in the country alongside your family and friends is what brings immense joy. The complex infrastructure designed around your car makes this activity even better.
New Business Categories
Many new businesses started along with the development of automobiles. Getting hungry in the middle of the trip stopped being a problem. Just hit the local drive-in or drive-thru where carhops, sometimes on roller skates, will take care of the food orders, letting you stay inside the car. After everyone is full and satisfied, the desire to watch a good movie kicks in. So, our next destination is the drive-in theater. This gigantic outdoor screen with a parking area next to it was popular in the 1950s, romanticized by TV series such as Happy Days, American Graffiti, and Grease. Once again, there was no need to leave the vehicle unless you wanted to get some snacks from the concession stand. On the way home, let’s stop at a mall for some shopping. It is convenient to have many different stores gathered for us in one place. However, the distance from the downtown is reasonable. That is why we have cars; otherwise, such shopping centers wouldn’t exist.
Hot Rodding, Drag Racing, and NASCAR
Coming back home from a heartwarming, peaceful family trip, it feels like there is a need for something more out of your car. What if it could go faster? Solely add an enormous engine and get a fancy paint job, turning it into a hot rod. Hot rodding and drag racing are motorsports that gained popularity in the 1950s and remain relevant. Another is NASCAR, where racers compete on slightly tilted speedways using stock cars. It is, by the way, the second most spectated sport in the USA behind the NFL (National Football League).
We could write a book on the tremendous impact cars made on American culture and society. However, a piece of paper could never fully convey all the experiences, as every automobile becomes unique in our hands. At Tempus Logix, we offer auto transportation across the nation, no matter if it is a hot rod, a family van, or a tractor: so that your motor vehicle can always stay by your side. (Quelle:tempuslogix.com)
The U.S. health system is a mix of public and private, for-profit and nonprofit insurers and health care providers. The federal government provides funding for the national Medicare program for adults age 65 and older and some people with disabilities as well as for various programs for veterans and low-income people, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. States manage and pay for aspects of local coverage and the safety net. Private insurance, the dominant form of coverage, is provided primarily by employers. The uninsured rate, 8.5 percent of the population, is down from 16 percent in 2010, the year that the landmark Affordable Care Act became law. Public and private insurers set their own benefit packages and cost-sharing structures, within federal and state regulations.
Italianate architecture continues the trend of asymmetrical design, romanticism, and Medieval influence — this time borrowing features from Medieval Italy. Italianate style is common up and down the East Coast and peaked in popularity between 1850 and 1880.
Italianate architecture features:
- Belvederes for natural light and airflow
- Overhanging eaves with decorative support brackets
- Tall and narrow or pedimented windows with rounded crowns
- Cast iron detailing and decor
Pattern books were becoming a popular way for craftsmen to build homes in different styles. This flexibility meant Italianate features were accessible for a variety of homes including large estates and urban townhouses.
