History of The Play Station

PlayStation was the brainchild of Ken Kutaragi, a Sony executive who had just come out of his hardware engineering division at that time and would later be dubbed as "The Father of the PlayStation".The console's origins date back to 1988 where it was originally a joint project between Nintendo and Sony to create a CD-ROM for the Super Nintendo. The PlayStation made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in June 1991 when Sony revealed its console, a Super Famicom/snes with a built-in CD-ROM drive (that incorporated Green Book technology or CDi). However, a day after the announcement at CES, Nintendo announced that it would be breaking its partnership with Sony, opting to go with Philips instead but using the same technology. The deal was broken by Nintendo after they were unable to come to an agreement on how revenue would be split between the two companies. The breaking of the partnership the breaking of the partnership infuriated Sony President Norio Ohga, who responded by appointing Kutaragi with the responsibility of developing of the PlayStation project to rival Nintendo. At that time, negotiations were still on-going between Nintendo and Sony, with Nintendo offering Sony a "non-gaming role" regarding their new partnership with Philips. This proposal was swiftly rejected by Kutaragi who was facing increasing criticism over his work with regard to entering the video game industry from within Sony. Negotiations officially ended in May 1992 and in order to decide the fate of the PlayStation project, a meeting was held in June 1992, consisting of Sony President Ohga, PlayStation Head Kutaragi and several senior members of Sony's board. At the meeting, Kutaragi unveiled a proprietary CD-ROM-based system he had been working on which involved playing video games with 3D graphics to the board. Eventually, Sony President Ohga decided to retain the project after being reminded by Kutaragi of the humiliation he suffered from Nintendo. Nevertheless, due to strong opposition from a majority present at the meeting as well as widespread internal opposition to the project by the older generation of Sony executives, Kutaragi and his team had to be shifted from Sony's headquarters to Sony Music, a completely separate financial entity owned by Sony, so as to retain the project and maintain relationships with Philips for the MMCD development project (which helped lead to the creation of the DVD). The original PlayStation released in December 1994 was the first of the ubiquitous PlayStation series of console and hand-held game devices. It has included successor consoles and upgrades including the Net Yaroze (a special black PlayStation with tools and instructions to program PlayStation games and applications), "PSone" (a smaller version of the original) and the PocketStation (a handheld which enhances PlayStation games and also acts as a memory card). It was part of the fifth generation of video game consoles competing against the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64. By March 31, 2005, the PlayStation and PSone had shipped a combined total of 102.49 million units, becoming the first video game console to sell 100 million units.

Should Exotic Animals Be Kept as Pets?

The Humane Society of the United States strongly opposes keeping wild animals as pets. This principle applies to both native and nonnative species, whether caught in the wild or bred in captivity. The overwhelming majority of people who obtain these animals are unable to provide the care they require. Despite what animal sellers may say, appropriate care for wild animals requires considerable expertise, specialized facilities, and lifelong dedication to the animals. Their nutritional and social needs are demanding to meet and, in many cases, are unknown. They often grow to be larger, stronger, and more dangerous than owners expect or can manage. Even small monkeys and small cats such as ocelots can inflict serious injuries, especially on children. Wild animals also pose a danger to human health and safety through disease and parasites. Baby animals can be irresistibly adorable—until the cuddly baby becomes bigger and stronger than the owner ever imagined. The instinctive behavior of the adult animal replaces the dependent behavior of the juvenile, resulting in biting, scratching, or displaying destructive behaviors without provocation or warning. Such animals typically become too difficult to manage and are confined to small cages, passed from owner to owner, or disposed of in other ways. There are not enough reputable sanctuaries or other facilities to properly care for unwanted wild animals. They can end up back in the exotic pet trade. Some may be released into the wild where, if they survive, they can disrupt the local ecosystem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discourages direct contact with wild animals for a simple reason: They can carry diseases that are dangerous to people, such as rabies, herpes B virus, and Salmonella. The herpes B virus commonly found among macaque monkeys can be fatal to humans. Tens of thousands of people get Salmonella infections each year from reptiles or amphibians, causing the CDC to recommend that these animals be kept out of homes with children under five. A 2003 outbreak of monkeypox was set in motion when African rodents carrying the disease were imported for the pet trade and infected native prairie dogs, who were also sold as pets. Wild animals are not domesticated simply by being captive born or hand-raised. It's a different story with dogs and cats, who have been domesticated by selective breeding for desired traits over thousands of years. These special animal companions depend on humans for food, shelter, veterinary care, and affection. Wild animals, by nature, are self-sufficient and fare best without our interference. The instinctive behavior of these animals makes them unsuitable as pets. The global wildlife trade threatens the very existence of some species in their native habitats. When wild-caught animals are kept as pets, their suffering may begin with capture every year countless birds and reptiles suffer and die on the journey to the pet store. Animals meant to live in the wild may languish in a cramped backyard cage or circle endlessly in a cat carrier or aquarium. Often, they become sick or die because their owners are unable to care for them properly. Captive breeding is no solution. It does not take the wild out of wildlife.Having any animal as a pet means being responsible for providing appropriate and humane care. Where wild animals are concerned, meeting this responsibility is usually impossible. People, animals, and the environment suffer the consequences.

Presidential Debates

In the United States, they were actually born out of a well-publicized Illinois senatorial debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858. This debate, with no moderator or panel, was the result of Lincoln following Douglas on his campaign trail around the state, goading him from the audience during campaign speeches. The pair eventually took the stage together for three hours to debate the moral and economic quandaries posed by slavery. The effects of their senatorial debate (Douglas won the seat) wouldn't be seen immediately: Lincoln didn't debate at all during his successful campaign for president two years later in 1860. All remained quiet on the debate front, 15 election cycles passed without much public argument between candidates -- the dialogue was separate, usually in the form of campaign speeches. In 1948, the presidential debate would get a boost with a radio broadcast of a debate between Republican primary contenders Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen. Between 40 and 80 million listeners tuned into the radio broadcast of the pair's debate over outlawing communism in the United States. Still, debates didn't really catch on. Even after the first televised debate (featuring all of the potential candidates), hosted by the League of Women Voters (LWV), an organization that would play an enormous role in shaping presidential debates in the United States, in 1952, debates still remained peripheral to the process of selecting a president. Ounce the Kennedy Nixon serieswere held, though, the concept of presidential debates took off like a rocket. The public began to expect debate between candidates; debates became an American institution. With all of the weight debates now carried, they could also be construed as lightning in a bottle. To Nixon and other candidates who followed, the bottle had to be safely capped. Lyndon Johnson turned down requests to debate in 1964, as did Nixon in the 1968 campaign. Once elected, Nixon used his presidential veto power to override a bill that repealed the equal time provision of the Communications Act of 1934.

This law required that candidates in national elections must have equal exposure in the media. During the 20th century, candidates used the equal time provision to their advantage. By refusing to debate, any candidate could effectively cripple a proposed debate. Certainly, there was a measure of bad press associated with turning down an invitation to debate. But bad press is better than bad television exposure any day of the week, as the Nixon showing in 1960 had taught. Furthermore, exploiting the equal time provision became a tool favored by front-runners in an election cycle. Bad press from a refusal to debate is far outweighed by the potential harm provided by debating a rival candidate who may have a good showing and possibly sway millions of voters. Exploiting debates and the debate process looked like it might get out of hand in the 1960s and '70s, until the LWV stepped in to take the reigns of the political process away from campaign strategists. The organization would have a renewed positive impact on presidential races for eight years. In 1988, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) took over and became the only organization capable of legitimately hosting presidential debates. Other debates, held before the candidates are nominated at the conventions, are hosted by news agencies and television networks and aren't official presidential debates. The CPD oversees height requirements for podiums, room temperature at debate halls, chooses moderators and serves as a propaganda arm for both the Republican and Democratic parties. The creation of the CPD ultimately tolled the death of spontaneity in presidential debates. Last night's debate held on 10/22/12 was a fight between Barack Obama (president) and Mitt Romney. It was hard to tell who had won but I think Obama beat Romney I don’t really know yet but I will in 2 weeks (that’s when the election is).

History of Sand Art

Sand art (the formation of creations, pictures and imagery) is an admired activity seeped in history and with many different cultural components. It involves varied techniques, materials and has embraced an array of subject matters. Sand art may be divided into three main categories: sand art paintings, bottled sand art and sculpture sand art. According to Sand Gallery, what is most commonly known today as sand art, originated in the city of Petra in Jordan, during the early 20th century. Sand Gallery goes further to state that, the craft was inspired by the multi-colored sand and rocks found in the Petra Mountains and that during the last half of the 1940s, artistic designs inspired by camels grew in popularity. It is claimed by Sand Gallery that these designs were evident in the bottles found from that period of time, from which its basic shapes could be noticed. Culturally, sand art paintings are most popularly known as being part of the Navajo tribe, the largest tribe of North American Indians. According to Navajo tradition, its origins are found in the Holy People who dwelled in the underworld. The tribe views sand painting as a key aspect of several healing and ceremonial activities. Other popular forms of culturally inspired sand paintings include the Tibetan Buddhist sand Mandala, as well as Aboriginal ground art. Nowadays, bottled sand art is a favorite pastime of young children and adults. It entails obtaining sand and mixing it with powder paint or food coloring to create different hues. This may then be poured into a variety of bottles (jars, wine and plastic bottles) in order to form designs and colorful layers, used for decorative purposes. Several sand art bottle manufacturing companies exist creating and selling goods ranging from simple decorative pieces to picture frames and flowerpots. Sand sculptures are created using sand and water and can take on virtually any form that the creator desires . Fashionable themes of sand sculpture usually involve fantasy-based images such as mermaids, aliens and mythical creatures. Other well-known forms of sand sculpture include castles, human beings and plants. Sand sculptures are often made with the assistance of wooden frames as sand is a fragile element. The tools used in the creation process include shovels, brushes, palette knives and straws. From sand bottles made by children and sand sculptures, to the complex culturally inspired sand paintings, sand art represents a certain form of beauty and has the ability to convey different stories. Over the years, competitions have been established and shows and fairs created, validating sand art as a true art form. People still do sand art today over the years they have made many different colors and the things that hold the sand. Sand art is a great way to use sand and many states in the U.S. Do sand art mostly in art school. I hope sand art will never stop because it is so beautiful when you finish and you can even shake it to make it multi colored.

President Willam Mckinley

William McKinley was born January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio. Following his service in the Union Army during the Civil War under Rutherford Hayes, he was drawn to service in the Republican Party. William McKinley was born January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio. As a young man, he briefly attended Allegheny College before taking a post as a country schoolteacher. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, McKinley enlisted in the Union Army; he eventually earned the rank of brevet major of volunteers. Returning to Ohio after the war, McKinley studied law, opened his own practice in Canton, Ohio, and married Ida Saxton, the daughter of a local banker.After the deaths, in quick succession, of her mother and her two young daughters early in their marriage, Ida's health rapidly deteriorated, and she spent the rest of her life as a chronic invalid. McKinley patiently catered to his wife throughout his burgeoning political career, winning praise from the public for his loving devotion to her. McKinley entered Ohio politics in 1869 and rose through the ranks as a Republican, winning election to the U.S. Congress in 1876. Over nearly 14 years in Congress, he served as chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and became known as a proponent of economic protectionism, in the form of high tariffs on imported goods. After a tariff measure bearing his name passed in 1890, voters rejected McKinley and other Republicans due to rising consumer prices and he returned to Ohio. The following year, he ran for governor, winning by a narrow margin; he would serve two terms in that post. After the so-called Panic of 1893 led to a crippling economic depression in the United States, McKinley and his fellow Republicans regained the political advantage over the Democrats. McKinley won the Republican presidential nomination in 1896 thanks to his congressional and gubernatorial experience, his longtime support of protectionism and the skilled maneuvering of his chief supporter, the wealthy Ohio industrialist Marcus Alonzo Hanna. In the general election, McKinley faced William Jennings Bryan, who ran on a platform attacking the gold standard and supporting the coinage of silver as well as gold.Touted by Hanna as the "advance agent of prosperity" and the protector of America's financial interests in contrast to Bryan's radical policies, McKinley won the popular vote by a margin of some 600,000, the largest victory in 25 years; he also won more than a third more electoral votes than Bryan. Soon after taking office, McKinley called a special session of Congress in order to raise customs duties, an effort he believed would reduce other taxes and encourage the growth of domestic industry and employment for American workers. The result was the Dingley Tariff Act (sponsored by the Maine congressman Nelson Dingley), the highest protective tariff in American history. McKinley's support for the Dingley Tariff strengthened his position with organized labor, while his generally business-friendly administration allowed industrial combinations or "trusts" to develop at an unprecedented rate. (Cool Fact William McKinley was the 25th president)

Hammerhead Shark

The great hammerhead is the largest species of hammerhead shark, family Sphyrnidae, attaining a maximum length of 6.1 m and 20 feet. It is found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, inhabiting coastal areas and the continental shelf. The great hammerhead can be distinguished from other hammerheads by the shape of its "hammer", which is wide with an almost straight front margin, and by its tall, sickle-shaped first dorsal fin. A solitary, strong-swimming apex predator, the great hammerhead feeds on a wide variety of prey ranging from crustaceans and cephalopods, to bony fishes, to smaller sharks. Observations of this species in the wild suggest that the cephalofoil functions to immobilize stingrays, a favored prey. This species has a viviparous mode of reproduction, bearing litters of up to 55 pups every two years. Although potentially dangerous, the great hammerhead rarely attacks humans. It sometimes behaves inquisitively toward divers and should be treated with respect. This shark is heavily fished for its large fins, which are extremely valuable on the Asian market as the main ingredient of shark fin soup. As a result, great hammerhead populations are declining substantially worldwide, and it has been assessed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The great hammerhead was first described as Zygaena mokarran in 1837 by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell. The name was later changed to the current Sphyrna mokarran. However, for many years the valid scientific name for the great hammerhead was thought to be Sphyrna tudes, which was coined in 1822 by Achille Valenciennes. In 1950, Enrico Tortonese determined that the specimens illustrated by Valenciennes were in fact smalleye hammerheads, to which the name S. tudes then applied. As the next most senior synonym, Sphyrna mokarran became the great hammerhead's valid name. The lectotype for this species is a 2.5m (8.2ft) long male from the Red Sea. Phylogenetic analyses based on morphology, isozymes, and mitochondrial DNA show that the great hammerhead forms a clade with the smooth hammerhead and the scalloped hammerhead. These studies also reveal a close relationship with the winghead shark, and their position relative to the small hammerhead sharks suggest that the first hammerheads to evolve had large rather than small cephalofoils. The great hammerhead inhabits tropical waters around the world, between the latitudes of 40°N and 37°S. In the Atlantic Ocean, it is found from North Carolina to Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and from Morocco to Senegal, and the Mediterranean Sea. It is found all along the rim of the Indian Ocean, and in the Pacific Ocean from the Ryukyu Islands to Australia, New Caledonia, and French Polynesia, and from southern Baja California to Peru. It may occur off Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, and Western Sahara, but this has not been confirmed. Great hammerheads may be found from inshore waters of less than 1 m (3.3 ft) deep, to a depth of 80 m (230 ft) offshore. They favor coral reefs, but also inhabit continental shelves, island terraces, lagoons, and deep water near land. They are migratory; populations off Florida and in the South China Sea have been documented moving closer to the poles in the summer.

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was Alphonso Taft, a prominent Republican attorney who served as secretary of war and attorney general under President Ulysses S. Grant, then ambassador to Austria Hungary and Russia under President Chester A. Arthur. The younger Taft attended Yale University graduating second in his class before studying law at the University of Cincinnati. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1880 and entered private practice. In 1886, Taft married Helen Nettie Herron, the daughter of another prominent local lawyer and Republican Party activist the couple would have three children. From early in his career, Taft aspired to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. His ambitious wife, meanwhile, set her sights on becoming first lady. With her encouragement, Taft accepted several political appointments, beginning in 1887 when he was named to fill the term of a judge in Ohio Superior Court. He was elected to a five-year term himself the following year. Other than the presidency, it would be the only office Taft ever obtained through a popular vote. In 1890, he was appointed as U.S. solicitor general, the third-highest position in the justice department. Two years later, he began serving as a judge on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which had jurisdiction over Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky. In early 1900, President William McKinley called Taft to Washington and tasked him with setting up a civilian government in the Philippines, which had become a U.S. protectorate after the Spanish-American War in 1898. Though hesitant, Taft accepted the post of chairman of the Second Philippine Commission with the knowledge that it would position him well to advance further in national government. Taft's sympathetic administration in the Philippines marked a dramatic departure from the brutal tactics used there by the U.S. military government since 1898. Beginning with the drafting of a new constitution including a Bill of Rights similar to that of the United States and the creation of the post of civilian governor he became the first, Taft improved the island economy and infrastructure and allowed the people at least some voice in government. Though sympathetic to the Filipino people and popular among them, he believed they needed considerable guidance and instruction before they could be capable of self-rule, and predicted a long period of U.S. involvement in fact the Philippines would not gain independence until 1946. After McKinley was assassinated in 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt twice offered Taft a Supreme Court appointment, but he declined in order to stay in the Philippines. In 1904, he agreed to return and become Roosevelt's secretary of war, as long as he retained supervision of Filipino affairs. Taft traveled extensively during his four years, in this post including overseeing the construction of the Panama Canal and serving as provisional governor of Cuba. Roosevelt, who had pledged not to run for the third term in the office, began to promoting Taft as his successor though he disliked campaigning, Taft agreed to mount a presidential run in 1908 at the urging of his wife, and soundly defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan by pledging to continue the Rooseveltian program of progressive reforms. The Republican William Howard Taft worked as a judge in Ohio Superior Court and in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals before accepting a post as the first civilian governor of the Philippines in 1900. In 1904, Taft took on the role of secretary of war in the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, who threw his support to the Ohioan as his successor in 1908. Generally more conservative than Roosevelt, Taft also lacked his expansive view of presidential power, and was generally a more successful administrator than politician. By 1912, Roosevelt, dissatisfied with Taft’s presidency, had formed his own Progressive Party, splitting Republican voters and handing the White House to the Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Nine years after leaving office, Taft achieved his lifelong goal when President Warren Harding appointed him chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; he held that post until just before his death in 1930.

History of Skechers

Founded in 1992, Skechers U.S.A. Inc. is one of the fastest growing footwear companies in the United States, focusing on trendy, casual styles aimed primarily at men and women from the ages of 19 to 40. With 1998 sales at almost $400 million, the company designs and markets more than 900 different styles of shoes, which are sold in major department stores such as Macy's and Nordstrom as well as in 38 of the company's own freestanding boutiques. Skechers's shoes are produced overseas at factories in China, Mexico, Brazil, and Romania, which allows the company to keep the prices of its designs below those of its competitors, and are designed to appeal to younger, active, fashion-conscious consumers. Skechers devotes much of its creative energy and revenue to flashy, highly visible ad campaigns a strategy that has helped the company grow within a matter of years to a multimillion dollar business.In 1990 the hottest selling shoe brand among young American women was called L.A. Gear, a label created and owned by a veteran of the retail industry named Robert Greenberg. Founded in 1983, L.A. Gear by 1990 was grossing more than $900 million in sales and, with its neon tennis shoes and overtly feminine image, seemed to be an unstoppable and unique presence within the industry. After a series of missteps, however, L.A. Gear took a sudden turn for the worse, and by 1992 Robert Greenberg, along with his son Michael, found himself without a job, forced out of the company he helped to create. Greenberg was no stranger to the unpredictable vicissitudes of the retail trade, however: The executive began his career in the 1960s selling wigs to beauty shops in Boston and by the next decade he had moved on to importing designer jeans to sell at the department stores Filene's and Jordan Marsh. At the end of the 1970s Greenberg moved to Los Angeles, where he founded a chain of roller skate stores, his first entré into the footwear industry. His first big break came in 1982, when Greenberg licensed the image of the film character E.T. to appear on shoelaces--a move that netted him $3 million in less than two months. This success gave him lasting clout and recognition within the retail trade, and it was with that revenue that Greenberg founded L.A. Gear. After Greenberg's departure from L.A. Gear in 1992, he immediately founded Skechers. Originally intended to be a distributor of Dr. Martens shoes, a British label made by R. Griggs Ltd., Greenberg within a year began to focus on designing and marketing his own brand. Utilizing the experience he gained through L.A. Gear, Greenberg began marketing Skechers primarily to young, hip consumers, although unlike L.A. Gear the focus was this time not on women's athletic wear but on casual, stylish street shoes for men. In addition, although Nike had a firm hold on men's athletic wear, there was no large, well established company against which Skechers had to compete in the market for men's street shoes, and this provided Greenberg the opportunity to help create and support a new and burgeoning niche market. Aside from being the largest distributor for Dr. Martens shoes, Skechers in 1992 also owned and marketed the labels Cross Colours, a brand that helped put urbanwear on the retail map, as well as Karl Kani and So. L.A. Although all three of these labels were successful, by 1993 Greenberg saw more financial opportunity in the development of his own label, and so he began consolidating his fiscal and creative resources to focus on Skechers. As a result, the labels Karl Kani and So. L.A. were discontinued by 1995 Cross Colours was discontinued not long after that and was sold a few years later. Within a year of Skechers's signing of a licensing agreement with R. Griggs Ltd., the makers of Dr. Martens shoes, the two companies had a falling out, with Skechers accusing R. Griggs of failing to deliver on orders for its increasingly popular merchandise. Skechers filed a complaint against R. Griggs for breach of contract, and a complicated array of countersuits ensued. By 1993, only one year after the two companies had formed a partnership, Skechers no longer served as a distributor for the Dr. Martens brand and had to rely on its own label for survival. Skechers U.S.A. had its first big break under its own label in 1993, with the introduction of a design known as the 'Chrome Dome.' Appealing to both sexes, this shoe was an urban street boot that reflected the increasing popularity of the 'grunge' look among younger consumers: the 'Chrome Dome' shoe was made to look well-worn and scuffed at the heel--much like the stone-washed, pre-torn jeans that were so popular at the time--and presented an image of tough androgyny. The 'Chrome Dome' design proved Skechers to be a company well aware of the quickly changing trends among young consumers, and the label soon was picked up by such stores as Foleys and Nordstrom.

Dolly Sods

The Dolly Sods area was first encountered by whites when Peter Jefferson, Thomas Lewis and others surveyed in 1746 to find the limits of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron’s land grant from the British Crown. The famous Fairfax Line grazes the northern margin of the Wilderness near Bear Rocks. This area was generally avoided as too impenetrable to easily traverse until the late 19th century. David Hunter Strother wrote an early and somewhat breathless travelogue of the area, published in Harper's Monthly magazine in 1852 "In Randolph County, Virginia, is a tract of country containing from seven to nine hundred square miles, entirely uninhabited, and so savage and inaccessible that it has rarely been penetrated even by the most adventurous. The settlers on its borders speak of it with a sort of dread, and regard it as an ill omened region, filled with bears, panthers impassable laurel-brakes, and dangerous precipices. Stories are told of hunters having ventured too far becoming entangled, and perishing in its intricate labyrinths. The desire of daring the unknown dangers of this mysterious region, stimulated a party of gentlemen to undertake it in June, 1851. They did actually penetrate the country as far as the Falls of the Blackwater, and returned with marvelous accounts of its savage grandeur, and the quantities of game and fish to be found there." The really high areas in Dolly Sods and Flatrock-Roaring Plains were once mostly covered by dense, ancient red spruce and eastern hemlock forest. The trees were 60 to 90 feet (27m) tall (18 27 m) and some measured at least 12 feet (370cm) in diameter. The greatest stand of red spruce in the world, in terms of size and quality, could be found along the upper Red Creek. The largest recorded tree ever cut in West Virginia was a white oak, harvested in this region. Nearly as large as a Giant Sequoia, it was probably well over 1,000 years old and measured 13 feet (4m) in diameter at a height of 16 feet (5m), and 10 feet (3m) in diameter 31 feet (9.4m) above the base. We will probably never know how large the biggest trees in West Virginia were because most cuttings were not documented. Centuries of accumulated needles from these trees created a blanket of humus seven to nine feet deep. The name Dolly Sods derives from the family name of Johann Dahle (1749 through1847), a German immigrant who homesteaded nearby. Such early settlers utilized the natural open fields on mountainsides known as "sods". Logged out and burned over areas produced additional good grass cover for grazing sheep and cattle. (Repeated burning, however, killed the grass and left only bracken fern, which was useless as fodder.) Locals changed the spelling of Dahle to "Dolly" and thus one such area became known as Dolly Sods. The Dahle family eventually moved on, leaving behind only the Americanized version of their name. Local historian Hu Maxwell described the Dolly Sods area in the Wheeling Intelligencer in 1886: "The top of the mountain is flat, except here and there rugged ridges and huge promontories of rocks rising above the level of the plains, and giving the scene an appearance of distance and mystery that must be witnessed before it can be understood".