Short Stories for Teachers
Niagara Falls is mostly known for romantic getaways, winning big at the casinos, out-of-control bachelor parties and getting wet on Maid of the Mist boat tours, but there is a lot about the Falls many people don't know.
Now Niagara Falls Tourism is running a contest to give away a week-long all-expense paid vacation. To get the word out they have posted different sets of images to Buzzfeed including the funny side of the Falls, stunning photos and a list of interesting facts about the tourist attraction that brings up to 30 million people to the region a year.
The post about things you probably didn't know, starts by asking if people know how to spell the name. Many people may be confused by the often unpronounced middle "a" between the "g" and the "r".
It continues to say the Falls is actually three falls - the American, the Bridal Veil, and the largest and most majestic one, the Horseshoe.
While going over the Falls in a barrel seems like a stunt that is sure to kill people, 13 out of the 18 who have attempted it have actually survived.
The other famous death-defying stunt the Falls is known for is people tightrope walking across it. While there hasn't been an attempt for more than a century, 18 people have completed the feat in the past. There has not been a walk for more than a century because of a ban by the Niagara Parks Commission. It is a ban daredevil Nik Wallenda is working hard to overturn so he can try the high wire stunt in the future.
A massive ice block prevented any water from flowing over the falls for almost two days in 1848. If the temperature gets cold enough in the winter, the river flowing into the falls can freeze creating an ice bridge. Until 1912, visitors were allowed to walk across this bridge.
Enough water flows over the falls to fill 68 Olympic-sized swimming pools every minute.
The falls power the world's first AC power plant, which was engineered in the 1890s.
The final piece of information Niagara Falls Tourism provides is that due to erosion, the falls drop a foot a year. This means in 50,000 years the Falls will no longer exist.
