Trivia for August 14

[Dave]

Walt Disney World's Liberty Belle riverboat, which cruises around Tom Sawyer Island, runs on tracks. Guests can't see the tracks because the water is a murky green color ... intentionally dyed to hide them.

The Magic Kingdom's original boat was an authentic sternwheeler steamboat called the Admiral Joe Fowler. It was retired in 1980.

1765: In colonial America, a group of men calling themselves the Sons of Liberty gather in Boston under a large elm tree at the corner of Essex Street and Orange Street near Hanover Square to protest the hated Stamp Act. In 1765 the British government imposed a Stamp Act requiring all legal documents, permits, commercial contracts, newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards in the American colonies to carry a tax stamp. The Sons of Liberty conclude their protest by hanging two tax collectors in effigy from the tree! From that day forward, the tree will become known as the "Liberty Tree." In Disney World's Liberty Square, a replica of the Liberty Tree stands opposite The Hall of Presidents. The replica is an actual 100-year-old oak found on the Florida property and transplanted with a younger oak grafted into the base.

1958: The grand opening of Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland dark ride took place with a ceremony hosted by Walt Disney himself and one of the original Mouseketeers, Karen Pendleton - dressed as Alice.

2004: Due to the impact of Hurricane Charley, Walt Disney World adjusted this day's schedule of operations. All theme parks with the exception of Animal Kingdom reopened to guests.

2008: The third new Mark VII monorail, Orange, was delivered to Disneyland.

2011: After months of closure and years of "Under New Management," birds and flowers once again came to life at Walt Disney World when Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room has a soft opening. The Adventureland staple officially reopened the next day.

[sydney]

That explains where this boat got it's name:

[Dave]

This info on Admiral Joe Fowler was found on Wikipedia:

In 1954 Walt Disney was looking for a naval expert to help with the building of the paddle steamer Mark Twain, for the then under-construction Disneyland. He found the retired admiral supervising the construction of tract homes in the San Francisco region. Fowler was hired as construction boss for the whole Disneyland project. After Disneyland was completed, Fowler stayed on as General Manager of the park for its first 10 years, and assisted with the construction of Walt Disney World. He retired from The Walt Disney Company in 1978 though he continued on as a consultant.

The dock for the two large ships in Disneyland's Rivers of America, located across from The Haunted Mansion is named Fowler's Harbor. In 1999, one of the ferries that crosses Walt Disney world's Seven Seas Lagoon taking guests from the Ticket and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom was renamed Admiral Joe Fowler in his honor. It was originally known as the Magic Kingdom.

[McDuck]

Go Navy!