FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Hot Springs National Park is an American national park in central Garland County, Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Hot Springs, the county seat. Hot Springs Reservation was initially created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832 to be preserved for future recreation. Established before the concept of a national park existed, it was the first time that land had been set aside by the federal government to preserve its use as an area for recreation. The hot spring water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess medicinal properties, and was a subject of legend among several Native American tribes. Following federal protection in 1832, the city developed into a successful spa town.

Incorporated January 10, 1851, the city was known in the early 20th century as the home to Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies during the Prohibition era, and gangsters such as Al Capone, horse racing at Oaklawn Park, the Army and Navy Hospital, and 42nd President Bill Clinton. The area was established as a national park on March 4, 1921. Until the redesignation of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial as Gateway Arch National Park in 2018, Hot Springs was the smallest national park by area in the United States. Since Hot Springs National Park is the oldest park maintained by the National Park Service, it was the first to receive its own US quarter in April 2010 as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters coin series.

The hot springs flow from the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain, part of the Ouachita Mountain range. In the park, the hot springs have not been preserved in their unaltered state as natural surface phenomena. They have been managed to conserve the production of uncontaminated hot water for public use. The mountains within the park are also managed within this conservation philosophy to preserve the hydrological system that feeds the springs.

The park includes portions of downtown Hot Springs, making it one of the most accessible national parks. There are numerous hiking trails and camping areas. Bathing in spring water is available in approved facilities at extra cost. The entire Bathhouse Row area is designated as a National Historic Landmark District; it contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America, including many outstanding examples of Gilded Age architecture. The row’s Fordyce Bathhouse serves as the park’s visitor center; the Buckstaff and Quapaw are the only facilities in 2015 still operating as bathhouses. Other buildings of the row are being restored or are used for other purposes.

TODAY’S ALMANAC

Question of the Day

I have some tropical hibiscus plants that grew and bloomed quite well last summer. Now they are inside and very large. I’ve taken cuttings in the past. Some make it, others don’t. What is the best time to prune these plants, and when and how can I make successful cuttings?The best time to prune them is in the spring; take the cuttings then.

Advice of the Day

Rivers (or other water) in your dreams suggest your emotional state.

Home Hint of the Day

Refill an empty spray bottle with car windshield washer fluid, which is inexpensive and available in large containers. Use this to wash the windows of your house.

Word of the Day

RostrumThe beak or head of a ship. Beaklike projection of the anterior part of the head of certain insects such as e.g. weevils. The long, projecting nose of a beast, as of swine.

Puzzle of the Day

What kind of ears do engines have?Engineers!

Died

• George Clinton (became first U.S. vice president to die in office) – 1812
• Bram Stoker (author) – 1912
• Benny Hill (comedian) – 1992
• Christopher Robin Milne (son of A.A. Milne, basis for the Winnie the Pooh character Christopher Robin) – 1996
• Dorothy Height (civil rights activist; she stood on the platform with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his historic I Have a Dream” speech”) – 2010

Born

• Daniel Chester French (sculptor) – 1850
• Stanley Marcus (retailer) – 1905
• Lionel Hampton (jazz musician) – 1908
• Jessica Lange (actress) – 1949
• Don Mattingly (baseball player) – 1961
• Felix Baumgartner (daredevil) – 1969
• Shemar Moore (actor) – 1970
• Joey Lawrence (actor) – 1976
• Funny Cide (thoroughbred race horse, won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2003) – 2000

Events

• Hot Springs Reservation (now National Park) was established in Arkansas– 1832
• French scientists Pierre and Marie Curie isolated radium chloride from pitchblende– 1902
• Boston’s Fenway Park hosted its first professional baseball game. The Boston Red Sox played the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees).– 1912
• Electron microscope demonstrated to public– 1940
• Pierre Elliott Trudeau was sworn in as 15th Prime Minister of Canada– 1968
• 54-pound 8-ounce freshwater drum caught in Nickajack Lake, Tennessee– 1972
• During a fishing trip, an upset swamp rabbit approached President Carter’s boat, Plains, GA– 1979
• Tony Gemignani spun 17.6 ounces of dough for 2 minutes to form pizza base 33.2 inches wide, in Minneapolis, Minnesota– 2006
• New York Yankee’s Aaron Hicks threw 105.5 mph ball from left field, setting baseball record– 2016

Weather

• A San Antonio hailstorm severely injured ten soldiers and killed two horses– 1878
• Six inches of snow in northern New Hampshire– 1951
• Deadly F3 tornado touched down in Utica, Illinois– 2004
• Ice out, Lake Winnipesaukee, NH– 2005

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