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5 Things You Didn't Know About the Grand Canyon On January 11, 1908, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declared the massive Grand Canyon in northwestern Arizona a national monument. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about one of the world’s natural wonders... The Grand Canyon Is so Large It Creates its Own Weather Elevations in the Grand Canyon range from 2,000 feet at the Colorado River in the area of Phantom Ranch to more than 8,000 feet at the North Rim, so the weather can depend on what time of year it is and the location. Along the river, it almost never snows and can get to more than 110 degrees, while at the South Rim it usually doesn’t go higher than the 80s and there are four seasons. For trekkers, there can be more than a 25-degree Fahrenheit difference when making their way from the crest to the bottom of the canyon. It Holds Lots of Fossils but No Dinosaur Bones While the rocks in the canyon walls are about one billion years older than the dinosaurs, the canyon itself is much younger than the dinosaurs. However, there are many fossils to be found, including marine fossils that date back more than a billion years. Fossils of land mammals, including sloths and pack rats, found there date back to around 10,000 years ago. The Most Remote Town in the Country Lies at the Bottom of the Canyon There is a small town at the bottom of the Grand Canyon named Supai Village, which is a part of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, but visitors have to be physically fit and hike a total of about 10 miles to get there. The population is around 208 people. Mail is still delivered to local residents via pack mule to navigate the tricky slopes. A Huge Hoax Involving the Grand Canyon Was Perpetrated in 1909 On April 5, 1919, the Arizona Gazette published a story about artifacts and strange caves in the Grand Canyon that were supposedly discovered by two archaeologists funded by the Smithsonian. The pair reportedly discovered, among other things, hieroglyphic-engraved tablets and an idol that resembled Buddha, along with mummies—lots of them. The Smithsonian was quick to put down the story as a hoax, saying that there were never any discoveries of Egyptian or Asian origin found in the country, and no one with the names of the supposed explorers ever worked for them. It Was a Long Time Before the Grand Canyon Was Explored Prehistoric humans, back as far as 12,000 years ago and members of the ancient Pueblo people inhabited the canyon, but it wasn’t until the 1540s that Spanish explorers were taken there by Hopi guides. It was an additional 300 years before Joseph Christmas Ives went into the canyon to map the Colorado River in 1858. Ten years later, another explorer, John Wesley Powell, provided a more detailed map of the river after traveling down it.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About John Rockefeller On January 10, 1870, John D. Rockefeller and a handful of partners incorporated Standard Oil Company, he largest oil refinery in the world of its time. Here are 5 things you didn't know about America’s first billionaire... Rockefeller Was the First American Billionaire Many Times Over After started out at age 16 as a bookkeeper in Cleveland. He eventually built an empire that was estimated in 1916 to be worth around $10 billion. By the standards of the 21st century, that amounts to about $336 billion, which would earn Rockefeller a spot as the richest man in American history. That’s much higher net worth than Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon. His Father Was a Scoundrel William Avery Rockefeller could only be described as a conman who was known to sell fake miracle drugs, herbal remedies and pose as a peddler who was a deaf-mute. His nickname was allegedly “Devil Bill,” and he fathered children not only with his wife but with his mistress, who lived in his home as the housekeeper. In addition, the elder Rockefeller posed as a physician specializing in eye and ear problems, and when he died in 1906, he was buried under the fake name of William Levingston. Rockefeller Did Not Serve in the Civil War Rockefeller made it clear that he supported abolition but did not serve in the Civil War, and paid a substitute to take his place, which was common in those days for people who had money. He said he wanted to serve in the military during the war but could not because his family was dependent on the money he made in his business. The business in question was commodities, from which Rockefeller made enough war profit that he was able to begin building his oil company. Rockefeller’s Iron-Fisted Hold on the Oil Business Was Broken in 1911 At one time, Rockefeller controlled about 90 percent of the oil produced in the United States; however, a Supreme Court case in 1911 ruled that Standard Oil had to be dismantled because the company violated federal antitrust laws. Thirty-four different entities grew from the breakup of Standard Oil, and some of those grew into new mega oil companies such as Chevron and Exxon-Mobil. Despite His Reputation as a Cheapskate, Rockefeller Was a Major Philanthropist Rockefeller carried dimes when he went out in public and handed them out to people on the street, so since he was extremely wealthy, there were those who considered him a cheapskate. However, Rockefeller and his son were major philanthropists, donating the land where the United Nations was built and funding Rockefeller Center, which put around 75,000 people to work during the Great Depression. Over the years, Rockefeller donated more than $500,000,000 for religious, scientific and educational purposes.