National Waterpark Day
July 28
Water parks have grown in popularity since their introduction in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The United States has the largest and most concentrated water park market, with over a thousand water parks and dozens of new parks opening each year. With more than twenty indoor and outdoor water parks, Wisconsin Dells is the self-proclaimed “water park capital of the world.” The city is home to Noah’s Ark, America’s largest water park, and Kalahari Water Park Resort, the country’s largest indoor water park. In 2013, Walt Disney World’s Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando, Florida, was the United States’ busiest water park with 2.1 million visitors. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon is home to the world’s largest wave pool. The pool requires 2.75 million gallons of water to be completely filled. For context: an Olympic-sized pool is 660,000 gallons.
Buffalo Soldier Day
July 28
The Army knew them as the 9th and 10th Cavalry. We know them as the Buffalo Soldiers; a regimen of men of color segregated from the white soldiers. The Comanche Native Americans christened the group in 1871 based on reverence for the buffalo and an abiding respect for the soldiers’ peerless bravery. Buffalo Soldiers boasted the lowest court-martials and desertion rates in the Army, despite racism and poor conditions. In 20 years – from 1870 to 1890 – 20 Buffalo Soldiers earned the military’s highest accolade: The Medal of Honor. After displaying unrivaled fearlessness in the Indian Wars, the Buffalo Soldiers joined Gen. John Pershing’s quest for Mexican freedom fighter Pancho Villa.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – First Lady of U.S. – born in Southampton, New York
Lori Loughlin – Actress – born in Queens, New York
