The girls and I really enjoyed discovering Argentina's rich cultural history this week! Here are 5 of our favorite facts:
1. The oldest known dinosaur species have been traced back to Argentina and Brazil, making both countries prime destinations for paleontologists. Species such as the Eoraptor are said to have walked the earth as far back as 230 million years ago! Well-preserved displays of their remains can now be found in museums such as the Argentine National Historical Museum in Buenos Aires. (We will definitely have to check that out in person!)
2. Argentina was the first country to adopt fingerprinting as a method of identification. In 1925, the small Argentinian town of Necochea was rocked by the gruesome stabbing of two children. With no witnesses to the crime, local police were unable to tie the gory crime to any particular suspect. Utilizing a bloody fingerprint left on a bedpost, Detective Eduardo Alvarez was able to peg the murders on the children’s mother, who quickly confessed to the crime.
3. We often associate Animated film with Walt Disney, but did you know the first animated feature film came courtesy of Quirino Cristiani in 1917? His film, El Apóstol, consisted of 58,000 frames and had a run time of 70 minutes. A satire, El Apóstol focused on the corruption and immorality that was prevalent in Buenos Aires at the time.
4. Home to 57,000 residents, Ushuaia, Argentina is the southernmost city in the world. Despite its unique geographical positioning, Ushuaia is not subjected to extreme weather conditions.
5. Argentina is now Ranked #2 for the most beef consumed per capita. Its neighbor, Uruguay, just surpassed Argentina's long reign at #1 in 2012. Argentines ate about 129 pounds of beef a person last year, far surpassing Americans, at a mere 57.5 pounds by comparison. But Argentina’s current level is a pale shadow of its peak: 222 pounds of beef for every man, woman and child, achieved in 1956. Now that's a lot of beef!
Sources: NY Times, www.thinkglobalschool.com
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