Niagara Falls
Niagara falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States; more specifically, between the province of Ontario and the state of New York. Niagara falls form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.The Niagara Falls are renowned both fortheir beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power.
Niagara Falls unveils new LED lighting system
A dazzling rainbow of colors from the Canadian side light up the American falls from nearly half a mile away. Tonight, thanks to a $4 million renovation, they will be even brighter. “It’s a new era in Niagara Falls history tonight,” said Mark Thomas, chairman of the Niagara Falls Illumination Board. “We’re eliminating all the dark spots so that you can actually see the whole rim of the falls, the whole curtain of the falls, and we’re gonna add a whole host of colors that you couldn’t get before with our old technology,” he said.
Interesting facts about Niagara Falls
The flow over the American Falls was stopped completely for several months in 1969.
The word “Niagara” is derived from the Iroquois Indian word “Onguiaahra” meaning “the strait”.
Before the invention of film, tourists would sketch pictures of the Falls.
The flow was also halted over both falls on March 30th 1848 due to an ice jam in the upper river.
The movies Niagara and Superman were filmed in part at the Falls.
In the past ten years, two daredevils lost their lives trying to conquer Niagara.
In the evenings, intense spotlights bathe the falls with different shades of color.
The first person to go over the Falls in a barrel and survive was a 63 year old female schoolteacher.
The Falls make a tremendous sound as the water goes over and lands at the bottom.
Twenty percent of the worlds freshwater lies in the Great Lakes, and most flows over Niagara Falls.
