Vancouver, the largest city in the Canadian province of British Columbia, was the host of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Winter Olympics are held every four years and feature competitors from around the world facing off in a number of different sporting events including hockey, downhill skiing, speed skating, figure skating, bobsledding, luge, and more. Here are seven things you don’t know about the 2010 Winter Olympics.

1. In 2003, the International Olympic Committee voted that Vancouver had won the bidding process and would be rewarded with the opportunity to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. In second place in the voting for those Olympics was the city of Pyeong Chang in South Korea, and Salzburg, Austria came in third place.

2. The opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics were the first Olympic opening ceremonies, summer or winter, to ever be held indoors.

3. The venue hosting Olympic Ice Hockey events is named Canada Hockey Place. Before and after the Olympics, this building hosts Vancouver Canucks NHL hockey games and is known by the name of GM Place. This name change occurred because Olympic rules state that corporate sponsorship is not allowed.

4. The Olympic medals and mascot of the 2010 Winter Olympics were designed by Leo Obstbaum. Obstbaum was born in Argentina and then grew up in Spain, before moving to Vancouver in 2005. He died unexpectedly in 2009 at the age of 39, less than six months before the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics of which he played such a visible and important role.

5. The first video game to be officially licensed by the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. It became available for the Wii and Nintendo DS in late October of 2009.

6. The Olympic Torch set a record for the longest route within one country when it traveled more than 45,000 kilometers (27,900 miles) inside the nation of Canada before reaching Vancouver in time for the opening ceremonies.

7. Seven countries sent teams to the Winter Olympics for the first time ever in 2010, they are: The Cayman Islands, Columbia, Ghana, Montenegro, Pakistan, Peru, and Serbia.

Whether looking for cheap flights for your next vacation or a great movie to watch on a Saturday night, airplanes are something that we often encounter. For those interested in airplanes, here is a list of some of the best movies involving airplanes and it just may be exactly what you’re in need of.

The Top 5 Airplane Movies Of All Time!

#5 – Flight of the Phoenix
This interesting action/drama was released in 1965 and stars Jimmy Stewart and Richard Attenborough. A crash landing in the African desert forces the survivors to rescue themselves in a truly imaginative way.

#4 – Airplane!
One of the funniest comedies ever, and easily the funniest airplane movie is the appropriately titled Airplane! This movie stars Robert Hayes, Julia Hagerty, and Lloyd Bridges. It features many other cameos of notable people too. It was released in 1980 and would be followed two years later by Airplane 2: The Sequel.

#3 – The Great Waldo Pepper
Robert Redford stars with Susan Sarandon in this 1975 film about barnstormer and early flying daredevil Waldo Pepper. A very nice drama that does a good job portraying many facets of the early days of flight.

#2 – The Dawn Patrol
The oldest film to make our list of greatest airplane movies is The Dawn Patrol which was released in 1938. This movie depicts the early days of military aircraft featuring a British fighting squadron during World War I. The stars of the film are Errol Flynn and David Niven as Captain Courtney and Lieutenant Scott, respectively. The movie details the lives of these two airmen who don’t always tackle their jobs the way the higher ups in the military would like them too. Other notable names in the cast include the great Basil Rathbone and Donald Crisp.

#1 – Top Gun
The best, and probably most popular, airplane movie ever though is the 1985 film Top Gun. This film starred Tom Cruise as a United States Navy fighter pilot who is going through training with some of the best airmen and flight instructors in the world. It also stars Kelly McGillis as his love interest and Anthony Edwards as his partner. Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan also play integral roles in this true classic from the 1980s.

Canada is America’s neighbor to the north, in fact the two countries share the world’s longest common border. There are many sides to Canada including vibrant urban cities, desolate northern wilderness, and beautiful outdoors destinations. The country has had an interesting and long history too. Here are seven things you don’t know about the nation of Canada.

1. In 2003, the Canadian province of Yukon Territory was officially renamed Yukon.

2. The Robert-Bourassa Generating Station in Quebec is not only Canada’s largest hydroelectric power station, it is also the largest underground power station in the entire world.

3. During World War II, Canada granted asylum and protection to the monarchy of the Netherlands after that country had been invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany.

4. The most populated island in all of Canada is the Island of Montreal. It sits in southwestern Quebec and is situated where the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers meet. More than 1.2 million people live on the Island of Montreal.

5. The first white man to cross North America north of Mexico was Sir Alexander Mackenzie, a Scottish explorer who for a time served in the Legislature of Lower Canada.

6. Canada was formed as a nation in 1867, but the national flag of Canada, the famous Maple Leaf, was not adopted until 1965.

7. The smallest province in all of Canada is Prince Edward Island which consists of one island containing roughly 2,190 square miles of land. There are 22 other islands in the nation of Canada that are larger than this province.

The Library of Congress is an essential part of the government of the United States of America, even though back in the early days of the country it was almost an after thought and only came about due to the generosity of many people, including Thomas Jefferson who donated his personal library to the institution. With all of the books, maps, pamphlets, films and more housed in this incredible institution, a great deal is known about it, but here are 7 things you don’t know about the Library of Congress.

1. In the terms of shelf space alone, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world.

2. The Library of Congress was formed as part of the Act of Congress that moved the nation’s capital from Philadelphia to Washington.

3. The Library of Congress was just a small library with roughly 3,000 books in it when British troops destroyed it by setting fire to the Capitol building as part of the War of 1812.

4. First opening in 1897, the building that was then known as the Library of Congress Building was renamed the Thomas Jefferson Building in 1980.

5. While the Library of Congress is open to the public and anyone who is at least sixteen years of age and in possession of a government issued photo identification card is allowed into the reading room, only members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices and their staff, Library of Congress personnel, and other government officials can actually check out books and remove them from the building.

6. The Library of Congress’ head librarian, a position known as the Librarian of Congress, is appointed by the President of the United States.

7. John J. Beckley was the first Librarian of Congress and served in that role from 1802 to 1807. Interestingly, he is also credited by many as being the first political campaign manager.

The Library of Congress houses some of America’s greatest treasures and is an awesome place to visit and make use of. The institution has grown from a single room library housed in the capital building to a massive facility encompassing numerous buildings of its own. A visit to the Library of Congress is a great thing to do for anyone traveling to Washington D.C.

Animal House is one of the more popular comedy movies of all time and seems to gain a legion of new fans with each generation that heads into the college age bracket. The film launched the careers of several comedic actors, some who would go on to be leading actors and others who would develop into great character actors. Here are 7 things you don’t know about: Animal House.

1. Tim Matheson, who played Otter in National Lampoon’s Animal House, would later go on to own the National Lampoon magazine when he and a business partner purchased it in the late 1980s.

2. Bravo TV puts Animal House first overall on their list of 100 Funniest Movies.

3. During the filming of Animal House, John Belusi would spend Monday through Wednesday working on the filming of the movie and then fly across country to New York City to work on Saturday Night Live from Thursday through Saturday.

4. The character of Otter was originally offered to Chevy Chase who turned it down.

5. The original filming location of Animal House was supposed to be the University of Missouri, but when officials there read the script they backed off and the University of Oregon accepted the offer.

6. Denver, Colorado was home to the first preview screening of Animal House.

7. A script was written for a sequel to Animal House, it wasn’t received well and after John Belushi’s death it was set aside indefinitely.

Animal House is truly one of the funniest movies ever and was revolutionary at the time of its release. Many subsequent films have followed a similar formula trying to capitalize on its popularity, but there is nothing like the original… there is nothing like Animal House.

Michael Jackson has had one of the more fascinating careers of any pop star in history. From the top of the world as the King of Pop to the butt of jokes regarding any number of things about his personal life, “The Gloved One” has kept all eyes on him for decades. Here though are 7 thing you don’t know about Michael Jackson.

1. Michael Jackson’s breakout album, Off The Wall (1979), was produced by Quincy Jones who he met and teamed up with while filming the Wizard of Oz remake ‘The Wiz’ in which Jackson starred as the Scarecrow.

2. Michael Jackson’s Heal the World charitable foundation was founded in 1992, but by 2002 had been dissolved largely because of not filing proper paperwork related to charitable foundations. The organization was revived in 2008.

3. The story, later turning out to be false, that Michael Jackson spent time sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber was originally put out by the singer himself to garner press and cultivate his unusual reputation and identity.

4. Though he is not the originator, Michael Jackson made the famous ‘Moonwalk’ one of the most popular dance steps in history. The original name for the dance move though was the ‘Backslide’.

5. The woman walking down a dark alley in Michael Jackson’s music video for ‘Dirty Diana’ is played by Jackson’s real life sister, LaToya Jackson.

6. Michael Jackson’s famous 2,800 acre Neverland Ranch was purchased by the singer in 1988 for $30 million. The property was purchased by Jackson from a golf course developer.

7. Michael Jackson’s performance during halftime of Super Bowl XXVII is historically significant in the fact that it is the first Super Bowl in history where the television audience increased for the halftime show over the amount that had been watching the game.

Figuring out what will become of Michael Jackson has proven to be one of the toughest things for anyone to do over the last few decades. The only thing that is sure is that he will most likely forever be in the public eye. Michael Jackson’s track record as an entertainer speaks for itself, and his sometimes outlandish behavior is found to be strangely captivating by a number of people that call themselves his fans as well as his detractors.

7 Things You Don’t Know About The Columbia River

The Columbia River is one of the more magnificent rivers in the United States. The river’s headwaters actually begin inside Canada, but the majority of it flows through Washington State and along the Washington-Oregon border before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. A great deal is known about this important natural resource, but here are 7 things you don’t know about the Columbia River.

1. 498 miles of the Columbia River’s total length of 1,243 miles is found in Canada.

2. Cape Disappointment marks the northern edge of the mouth of the Columbia River. It received its name from British Captain John Meares who had searched for the river, couldn’t find it, and determined that it didn’t exist.

3. More than 40 percent of all wheat that is exported from the entire United States is at one time or another barged down the Columbia River.

4. There are 14 hydroelectric dams that produce power on the Columbia River, three of them lie within the borders of Canada’s British Columbia.

5. Despite the fact that the Columbia River starts in Canada and flows south into Washington State, the first 200 miles of the river actually flows northwest from its source.

6. The largest dam on the Columbia River is the Grand Coulee Dam. The original planned height of the dam was to be between 200 and 300 feet, during construction the planned height of the dam was changed to 500 feet high.

7. The three Columbia River dams that are found inside Canada, Mica Dam, Duncan Dam and Hugh Keenleyside Dam, were all built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and were required as part of the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada. They are all mainly used for water storage, although power production was enabled at two of the dams years after they were completed.

The Columbia River is a great source of hydroelectric power and recreational opportunities. It has developed into one of the more important resources that the Pacific Northwest has and is used to the benefit of the entire nation. There are a number of worthwhile attractions and locations to visit up and down the entire length of the Columbia River.

The city of Victoria, British Columbia takes advantage of its geographic location and its historical architecture and now supplies a great deal of tourists each year with a wonderful stay in what can be described as a beautifully quaint community. The placement within view of so many gorgeous mountains and right on the water is enough to satisfy the most discriminating visitor. Here though are seven things you don’t know about the city of Victoria, British Columbia.

1. Victoria was the capitol of the old Vancouver Island Colony which wasn’t included politically with the mainland until they were joined in 1866, the city remained the capital of the new united colony at that point.

2. The Victoria Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association won hockey’s Stanley Cup in 1925.

3. The Jordan River Diversion Dam, built in 1911, is Victoria’s main source of hydroelectric power.

4. Victoria sits on the western end of Canada’s Trans-Canada Highway which is the longest national highway any where in the world.

5. Nearby Sydney, BC is home to the only Canadian port of call for the Washington State Ferry system. Thousands of tourists every year use this connection as a way to visit beautiful Victoria, British Columbia.

6. Before becoming a city, the area that would become Victoria was long known as Fort Victoria. It had first been established and known for a short time as Fort Albert.

7. The oldest synagogue in continuous use in Canada is Temple Emanuel which was built in Victoria in 1863.

A visit to the city of Victoria, British Columbia is a great way to spend a vacation. From the natural beauty of the surrounding waters and mountains to the historical beauty of the city itself, the city of Victoria is a must stop for anyone traveling through the Pacific Northwest area.

When many people picture Washington State they envision the skyline of Seattle with Mount Rainier behind it. Mount Rainier is one of the most famous natural feature of Washington State. The mountain is popular with climbers who go to the top, hikers who circumnavigate it, and campers who spend days in its shadow. This most famous of all of the Cascade Mountains is one of the most visited places in the state, but here are seven things you don’t know about Mount Rainier.

1. Mount Rainier is actually topped by two separate volcanic craters.

2. Six rivers flow from the glacial snow of Mount Rainier, they are the Puyallup, Carbon, Mowich, Nisqually, Cowlitz and White rivers.

3. The first European to view Mount Rainier was the British explorer Captain George Vancouver. He named the mountain after his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.

4. Mount Rainier National Park was created by President William McKinley and was the fifth national park in the United States.

5. As recent as 1924, the United States Congress considered a resolution to change the name of Mount Rainier to Mount Tacoma.

6. In 1946, 32 people died when the plane they were in crashed into the side of Mount Rainier, the crash site was located on the South Tahoma Glacier.

7. The Wonderland Trail is a 93 mile long hiking trail that circumnavigates the entire mountain.

The pure beauty of Mount Rainier is one of the reasons that anyone visiting the state of Washington needs to make sure that they include it on their list of places to see. Mount Rainier rarely disappoints its visitors and usually rates very high with travelers from out of state. There is so much to do in and around the mountain that anyone with any outdoor recreation interests will find more than enough to occupy themselves with.

Historically speaking, the state of Connecticut has played a large role in the history of the United States of America. Like every state in the union, there is a great deal known about Connecticut. Here though are seven things you don’t know about the state of Connecticut.

1. The highest point in the state of Connecticut is on the southern slope of Mount Frissell, the peak of the mountain sits in nearby Massachusetts.

2. In the late 1600s, the colony of Connecticut was at war over land with the colony of Pennsylvania.

3. A resident of Connecticut is officially a “Connecticuter”.

4. Before 1875, the communities of New Haven and Hartford spent time alternating as capitals.

5. The Boston Celtics played a number of games in Hartford, Connecticut during the timespan of 1975 to 1995.

6. President George W. Bush was born in the state of Connecticut.

7. The Connecticut River was originally named the Versche River by early Dutch explorers.

Connecticut is one of the smaller states in the United States, but it doesn’t lack for anything when it comes to its history and how it is able to treat the tourists that visit there. The state of Connecticut is truly a gem when it comes to places that someone can visit and it rarely disappoints either travelers or locals alike.