design 2d daily object July 4th 2003

In apology for the poor and shoddy 'Spot the Bull' pun yesterday, The Daily Object seek forgiveness today through a forma, serious and respectful dedication.
Today we join in commemorating the fact that 4th July is of course..
"Windy Penn Dance Day in the Menai Straits off Anglesey!"

Windy Penn Dance Day in the Menai Straits off Anglesey

The roots of this little known day of remembrance lie back in the 19th Century.In 1826 Thomas Telford continued his success at building iron bridges with a large bridge over the Menai Straits. The Menai Suspension Bridge near Bangor is a magnificent achievement, rising 100 feet above the high water mark of the straits below and distancing 579 feet between piers. It replaced the dangerous, expensive and highly unreliable ferry from the mainland to the island of Anglesey and the road to Holyhead (and thus the route to Ireland).

The Bee, (Hymenoptera)1

Artists impression of Penn

July 4th 2003
In apology for the poor and shoddy 'Spot the Bull' pun yesterday, The Daily Object seek forgiveness today through a forma, serious and respectful dedication. Today we join in commemorating the fact that 4th July is of course.. "Windy Penn Dance Day in the Menai Straits off Anglesey!"
Windy Penn Dance Day in the Menai Straits off Anglesey
The roots of this little known day of remembrance lie back in the 19th Century.In 1826 Thomas Telford continued his success at building iron bridges with a large bridge over the Menai Straits. The Menai Suspension Bridge near Bangor is a magnificent achievement, rising 100 feet above the high water mark of the straits below and distancing 579 feet between piers. It replaced the dangerous, expensive and highly unreliable ferry from the mainland to the island of Anglesey and the road to Holyhead (and thus the route to Ireland).

	The Bee, (Hymenoptera)1	Artists impression of Penn
The stonework was finished in 1824; then began the monumental task of raising the chains that would hold up the central span. Tunnels were driven into solid rock on either shore to anchor the chains. Then the first section of the chain was secured on the Caernarfonshire side, drawn up to the top of the eastern tower and left to hang down to the water level. Another chain was drawn up to the top of the tower on the Anglesey side. The central section of chain, weighing 23.5 tons, was then loaded onto a raft, carefully manoeuvred into position between the towers and connected to the dangling chain. While a fife and drum band played to encourage the workers, 150 men used block and tackle to draw the chain up to the top of the Anglesey tower to complete the span. The large crowd that had gathered to watch cheered wildly as the connection was made. The remaining fifteen chains were raised in a similar manner over the next ten weeks. Rods were then hung from the chains and bolted to iron bars that were used as the base for the wooden road surface. The bridge was opened on 30 January 1826 to great fanfare. It was a fine blustry summers day on the bridge that year on the 4th of July, when a certain girl by the name of Penn was stung by a bee (it is believed although a wasp has not been ruled out) upon her posterior as she crossed the bridge. The resultant pain and shock caused her to run clear across the bridge, leaping and howling about with such exuberance and wanton abandon people thought she was dancing in the wind that blew across the bridge. Her story spread and each year on the 4th of July people would mimic her dance on the bridge. Some thought it was cruel, others said it was simply playful fun. Allegedly Penn would sometimes head the small procession. Today tourists still come to the bridge on the 4th of July to watch the continuation of the celebration.


thanks to: http://www.welshdragon.net/resources/Historical/wales_timeline2.shtml http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/places/bridges/
1) Bees of all kinds belong to the order of insects known as Hymenoptera, literally "membrane wings". This order, comprising some 100,000 species, also includes wasps, ants, ichneumons and sawflies. Of the 25,000 or more described species of bees (more are recognised every year) the majority are solitary bees most of which lay their eggs in tunnels, which they excavate themselves. In some species small numbers of females may share a single tunnel system, and in other cases there may be a semi/social organisation involving a hierarchical order among the females, These bees provide a supply of food (honey and pollen) for the larvae, but there is no progressive feeding of the larvae by the adult bees.