When California was an Island
Did you know at one point in time it was believed that California was an island? On this episode we’ll uncover why this was thought to be.
This Spanish misconception dates back from the 16th century. In those days they thought California was separated from the mainland of North America by a strait now known as the Gulf of California. As show as one of the most cartographic errors in history, many maps during the 17th and 18th centuries were propagated with this incorrect depiction of California which was challenged by various explorers of the time.
It was made legend that California was a magical place like the Garden of Eden or Atlantis. The first mention of the legend of the “Island of California” was in the 1510 romance novel “Las sergas de Esplandian” by Garci Rodriquez de Montalvo. A passage from his book reads:
“Know, that on the right hand of the Indies there is an island called California very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise; and it is peopled by black women, without any man among them, for they live in the manner of Amazons.
In 1533 Fortun Ximenez, a mutineer discovered the southern portion of Baja California but was killed by natives. His men returned to Spain giving their reports of the waterway between the two bodies of land. Later Cortez explored the Baja California region then sent navigator Francisco de Ulloa in 1539 to map out the region. Ulloa reached the mouth of the Colorado River at the head of the Gulf, which seemed to prove the region was a peninsula rather than an island. This is also confirmed by Hernando de Alarcon who ascended the lower Colorado river. During the 16th century maps published in Europe correctly displayed California attached with Baja California as a peninsula.
This idea was challenged though in the 17th century as the second voyage of Juan de Fuca in 1592 claimed to have travelled along the west coast all the way north revealing a large opening to the the Atlantic Ocean which we call the Northwest Passage today.. Fuca stated that a large island was at the mouth of the strait he had travelled at 47°. What he had found was Vancouver Island and not California. Map makers of the time likely made the mistake of connecting both accounts of land being separated by water at Baja California and Vancouver Island and just drew it in as one big island.
Fast forward here for a second almost 200 years later James Cook could not verify the opening to what is now called the Strait of Juan de Fuca due to bad weather. He said “we saw nothing like; nor is there the least probability that ever any such thing existed”. Cook landed on the outside of Vancouver Island before heading on.
A land expedition by Spanish governor of New Mexico, Juan de Onate descended the lower Colorado River in 1604 and 1605. They believed to see the Gulf of California continuing off to the northwest, this report reached Antonio de la Ascencion a tireless propagandist in favor of Spanish settlement in California that referred to California as an island in his writings. Antonio knew better but still included this as he knew it would make Sir Francis Drake’s claim invalid. Sir Francis Drake is this guy with the nice mustache, who was an English sea captain and slave trader. He claimed all the land above Mexico as New Albion, fun fact Albion is an archaic name for the island of Great Britain. Drake’s sea to sea claim on the land would be made invalid if California was an island, so even though Antonio knew it wasn’t it still put it in his writings as an island. By making Drake’s claim invalid it would make Cortez’s claim the legal basis for continued Spain control of the island of California.
These incorrect maps were shipped to Spain but were seized by the Dutch which resulted in Henry Briggs publishing this map in 1625. Incorrect maps were printed for decades even though expeditions by Ulloa and Hernando confirmed California wasn’t an island. Finally in a royal decree of 1747, Ferdinand VI proclaimed “California is not an island.” which put this issue to bed.
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Rallying the Defense:
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,010,232 making it the third-most populous county in California, the sixth-most populous in the United States, and it more populous than twenty-one U.S. states. Its county seat is Santa Ana. It is the second most densely populated county in the state, second only to San Francisco County. The county's three largest cities, Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Irvine, each have populations exceeding 200,000.
Orange County is included in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thirty-four incorporated cities are located in the county; the newest is Aliso Viejo, which was incorporated in 2001. Anaheim was the first city incorporated in 1870, when the region was still part of neighboring Los Angeles County. Whereas most population centers in the United States tend to be identified by a major city, there is no defined urban center in Orange County. It is mostly suburban except for some traditionally urban areas at the centers of the older cities of Anaheim, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Orange, and Santa Ana. There are several edge city-style developments such as Irvine Business Center, Newport Center, and South Coast Metro.
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Native Americans in the United States | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Native Americans in the United States
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, Indigenous Americans and other terms, are the indigenous peoples of the United States, except Hawaii. There are over 500 federally recognized tribes within the US, about half of which are associated with Indian reservations. The term American Indian excludes Native Hawaiians and some Alaska Natives, while Native Americans (as defined by the US Census) are American Indians, plus Alaska Natives of all ethnicities. Native Hawaiians are not counted as Native Americans by the US Census, instead being included in the Census grouping of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.
The ancestors of modern Native Americans arrived in what is now the United States at least 15,000 years ago, possibly much earlier, from Asia via Beringia. A vast variety of peoples, societies and cultures subsequently developed. Native Americans were greatly affected by the European colonization of the Americas, which began in 1492, and their population declined precipitously due to introduced diseases, warfare, and slavery. After the founding of the United States, many Native American peoples were subjected to warfare, removals and one-sided treaties, and they continued to suffer from discriminatory government policies into the 21st century. Since the 1960s, Native American self-determination movements have resulted in changes to the lives of Native Americans, though there are still many contemporary issues faced by Native Americans. Today, there are over five million Native Americans in the United States, 78% of whom live outside reservations.
When the United States was created, established Native American tribes were generally considered semi-independent nations, as they generally lived in communities separate from British settlers. The federal government signed treaties at a government-to-government level until the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871 ended recognition of independent native nations, and started treating them as domestic dependent nations subject to federal law. This law did preserve the rights and privileges agreed to under the treaties, including a large degree of tribal sovereignty. For this reason, many (but not all) Native American reservations are still independent of state law for this reason, and actions of tribal citizens on these reservations are subject only to tribal courts and federal law.
The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States who had not yet obtained it. This emptied the Indians not taxed category established by the United States Constitution, allowed natives to vote in state and federal elections, and extended the Fourteenth Amendment protections granted to people subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. However, some states continued to deny Native Americans voting rights for several decades. Bill of Rights protections do not apply to tribal governments, except for those mandated by the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968.
Los Angeles | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Los Angeles
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Los Angeles ( (listen); Spanish: Los Ángeles), officially the City of Los Angeles and known colloquially by its initials LA, is the second-most populous city in the United States, after New York City, and the largest and most populous city in the Western United States. With an estimated population of four million, Los Angeles is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. Nicknamed the City of Angels partly because of its name's Spanish meaning, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and sprawling metropolis.
Los Angeles is located in a large basin bounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side and by mountains as high as 10,000 feet (3,000 m) on the others. The city proper, which covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km2), is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the country. Los Angeles is the principal city of the Los Angeles metropolitan area; with a population of 13.1 million residents it is the second largest in the United States after that of New York City. It is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach combined statistical area, also the second most populous in the nation with a 2015 estimated population of 18.7 million.Los Angeles is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States, with a diverse economy in a broad range of professional and cultural fields. Los Angeles is also famous as the home of Hollywood, a major center of the world entertainment industry. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index and 9th in the Global Economic Power Index. The Los Angeles combined statistical area also has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third-largest in the world, after the Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics and will host the event for a third time in 2028. The city also hosted the Miss Universe pageant twice, in 1990 and 2006, and was one of 9 American cities to host the 1994 FIFA men's soccer World Cup and one of 8 to host the 1999 FIFA women's soccer World Cup, hosting the final match for both tournaments.
Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood. The discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, later assured the city's continued rapid growth.
Los Angeles | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Los Angeles
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Los Angeles ( (listen); Spanish: Los Ángeles), officially the City of Los Angeles and known colloquially by its initials LA, is the second-most populous city in the United States, after New York City, and the largest and most populous city in the Western United States. With an estimated population of four million, Los Angeles is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. Nicknamed the City of Angels partly because of its name's Spanish meaning, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and sprawling metropolis.
Los Angeles is located in a large basin bounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side and by mountains as high as 10,000 feet (3,000 m) on the others. The city proper, which covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km2), is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the country. Los Angeles is the principal city of the Los Angeles metropolitan area; with a population of 13.1 million residents it is the second largest in the United States after that of New York City. It is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach combined statistical area, also the second most populous in the nation with a 2015 estimated population of 18.7 million.Los Angeles is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States, with a diverse economy in a broad range of professional and cultural fields. Los Angeles is also famous as the home of Hollywood, a major center of the world entertainment industry. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index and 9th in the Global Economic Power Index. The Los Angeles combined statistical area also has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third-largest in the world, after the Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics and will host the event for a third time in 2028. The city also hosted the Miss Universe pageant twice, in 1990 and 2006, and was one of 9 American cities to host the 1994 FIFA men's soccer World Cup and one of 8 to host the 1999 FIFA women's soccer World Cup, hosting the final match for both tournaments.
Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood. The discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, later assured the city's continued rapid growth.
Los Angeles, California | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:03:52 1 History
00:04:01 1.1 Pre-colonial history
00:04:56 1.2 Spanish rule
00:06:10 1.3 Mexican rule
00:06:36 1.4 1847 to present
00:14:25 2 Geography
00:14:34 2.1 Topography
00:17:17 2.2 Vegetation
00:18:29 2.3 Geology
00:20:11 2.4 Cityscape
00:20:38 2.4.1 Overview
00:22:46 2.4.2 Landmarks
00:23:40 2.5 Climate
00:28:54 2.6 Environmental issues
00:32:01 3 Demographics
00:34:55 3.1 Race and ethnicity
00:39:57 3.2 Religion
00:44:57 4 Economy
00:47:11 5 Culture
00:47:41 5.1 Movies and the performing arts
00:49:26 5.2 Museums and galleries
00:50:21 6 Sports
00:54:12 7 Government
00:56:01 7.1 Federal and state representation
00:56:31 8 Crime
00:58:34 9 Education
00:58:44 9.1 Colleges and universities
00:59:47 9.2 Schools and libraries
01:01:02 10 Media
01:05:19 11 Transportation
01:05:29 11.1 Freeways
01:07:15 11.2 Transit systems
01:10:08 11.3 Airports
01:11:38 11.4 Seaports
01:13:19 12 Notable people
01:13:41 13 Twin towns and sister cities
01:14:16 14 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
Other Wikipedia audio articles at:
Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
Speaking Rate: 0.8907072575195408
Voice name: en-GB-Wavenet-C
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Los Angeles ( (listen); Spanish: Los Ángeles), officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in California, the second most populous city in the United States, after New York City, and the third most populous city in North America. With an estimated population of four million, Los Angeles is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. The city is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles is the largest city on the West Coast of North America.
Los Angeles is in a large basin bounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side and by mountains as high as 10,000 feet (3,000 m) on the other. The city proper, which covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km2), is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the country. Los Angeles is also the principal city of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second largest in the United States after that of New York City, with a population of 13.1 million. It is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach combined statistical area, also the nation's second most populous area with a 2015 estimated population of 18.7 million.Los Angeles is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States, with a diverse economy in a broad range of professional and cultural fields. Los Angeles is also famous as the home of Hollywood, a major center of the world entertainment industry. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index and 9th in the Global Economic Power Index. The Los Angeles metropolitan area also has a gross metropolitan product of $1.044 trillion (as of 2017), making it the third-largest in the world, after the Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics and will host the event for a third time in 2028. The city also hosted the Miss Universe pageant twice, in 1990 and 2006, and was one of 9 American cities to host the 1994 FIFA men's soccer World Cup and one of 8 to host the 1999 FIFA women's soccer World Cup, hosting the final match for both tournaments.
Historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 18 ...
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