The Iditarod Trail was first used when the Alaskan Gold Rush began in the 1880's. Towns came alive as gold was discovered. One such town was called Iditarod, named for the Indian word Haiditarod, which means a far, distant place. The Iditarod Trail became a way to reach these far, distant places. It was full of swamps in the summer, but in the winter, it was a major transportation route for the dog sled teams that were used by most people. It continued to be used until the mid 1920's.
In 1925, an epidemic of diphtheria hit the city of Nome. The disease could be treated with a special antitoxin, which is a special medicine to fight the bacteria in diphtheria. Unfortunately, the closest antitoxin that could be found was in Anchorage, on the other side of Alaska. Airplanes were still very new, so no one knew if they could fly in such cold weather. It was agreed that the liquid would be taken to Nenana by train, and then a relay of dog sled teams would carry it to Nome.
The trip covered almost 700 miles, and about 2/3 of it followed the Iditarod Trail. Leonhard Seppala, a Norwegian who had come to Alaska looking for gold, travelled 260 of those miles. He and his lead dog, Togo, crossed the frozen Norton Bay in order to speed the journey. He had to depend on Togo's sense of direction in the blinding snow, and Togo turned out to be a dependable guide. The last leg of the run was done by Gunnar Kaasen, who had been driving dog teams in Alaska for 21 years. His lead dog was Balto. Balto also proved to be an able leader. At one point he refused to go any further, and saved the team from falling into icy water. He led the team through blowing snow into Nome, and the diphtheria outbreak was stopped. Balto became a hero. He became so well known that a statue was built in New York's Central Park to honor him.
In 1967, a dog sled driver named Joe Redington, Sr. joined with Dorothy Page, an Alaskan interested in history, to celebrate dog sleds. At that time, sleds were being replaced by snowmobiles in Alaska. A sled dog race was held, and it was extended to Nome in 1973, with part of it following the old Iditarod Trail. The trip from Anchorage to Nome was similar to the famous diphtheria run of 1925. The race became known as the "The Last Great Race on Earth" , and Joe Redington and Dorothy Page were known as the 'father and mother of the Iditarod".
In 1925, an epidemic of diphtheria hit the city of Nome. The disease could be treated with a special antitoxin, which is a special medicine to fight the bacteria in diphtheria. Unfortunately, the closest antitoxin that could be found was in Anchorage, on the other side of Alaska. Airplanes were still very new, so no one knew if they could fly in such cold weather. It was agreed that the liquid would be taken to Nenana by train, and then a relay of dog sled teams would carry it to Nome.
The trip covered almost 700 miles, and about 2/3 of it followed the Iditarod Trail. Leonhard Seppala, a Norwegian who had come to Alaska looking for gold, travelled 260 of those miles. He and his lead dog, Togo, crossed the frozen Norton Bay in order to speed the journey. He had to depend on Togo's sense of direction in the blinding snow, and Togo turned out to be a dependable guide. The last leg of the run was done by Gunnar Kaasen, who had been driving dog teams in Alaska for 21 years. His lead dog was Balto. Balto also proved to be an able leader. At one point he refused to go any further, and saved the team from falling into icy water. He led the team through blowing snow into Nome, and the diphtheria outbreak was stopped. Balto became a hero. He became so well known that a statue was built in New York's Central Park to honor him.
In 1967, a dog sled driver named Joe Redington, Sr. joined with Dorothy Page, an Alaskan interested in history, to celebrate dog sleds. At that time, sleds were being replaced by snowmobiles in Alaska. A sled dog race was held, and it was extended to Nome in 1973, with part of it following the old Iditarod Trail. The trip from Anchorage to Nome was similar to the famous diphtheria run of 1925. The race became known as the "The Last Great Race on Earth" , and Joe Redington and Dorothy Page were known as the 'father and mother of the Iditarod".
by Ben Dover March 30, 2004
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Get the Idioit mug.A person (usually a female between the ages of 9 and 15), who "likes" Green Day (spelt as "Greenday" by these creatures.) (see teenybopper), only since their successful album that they released in 2004, American Idiot. These people usually only know of Billie Joe Armstrong as THE member of "Greenday". The ways they spell Billie Joe's name are REDICULOUS!! Examples for the mis-spellings are: Billy Joe Armstrong, Billy Jo Armstrong, Billy Jo, and Billie Jo Armstrong. Sad, yes, I know. They do not know of Green Day's older, and somewhat better albums: 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, Kerplunk, Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, and they MAY know ONE OR TWO songs from "Warning". They know of American Idiot as "Greenday's first album". And usually don't even listen to the best songs on there! They listen usually (ONLY) to tracks 1, 3, 4, and 11. (American Idiot, Holiday (probably because it fades into Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which most of these things call "Iwalk Alone"), and Wake me up When September Ends. Nope, not Letterbomb, not Homecomeing, not She's a Rebel, nothing else. They may also know 21 Guns and/or Know Your Enemy from 21st Century Breakdown. And if they don't listen to the music, (which most don't), they only focus on how "super haaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwtttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!" Billie Joe is.
Teenybopper: 0h Th41 8177y Jo ArMsTrOnG iS, lYk, SoOoOoOo000, haaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwttttttt!!!!!oneone1111111elevenone!!!!!!111eleven 1 w4nt 2 h4V oVeR 1234567890987654321234567890 oF hIZ BaYbEEeeeZZZZ!!!!!!11111111oneoneoneeleventyone1111!!!!! AnD H15 W1f3 c4n f477 1N 4 HoLE aND DyE!!!!!!!11111eleventyone111!!22
Normal (Real) Green Day fan: When did Green Day's first album come out?
Teeny: UuUuUuhhhhhhh... 2004!1!oneeleven DUh!!!!!!!!1111oneone111eleventyone1111~!~~!!!!!!!!!!
Real fan: Nope! 1989!
Teeny: Nu-uh! Am3R1C4N 1D01+ c4M3 0u+ 1N 2004!!!!!!!11111oneoneone111!!!~~~~eleventyone
Real fan: Goodbye you stupid American Idiot Fan.
Normal (Real) Green Day fan: When did Green Day's first album come out?
Teeny: UuUuUuhhhhhhh... 2004!1!oneeleven DUh!!!!!!!!1111oneone111eleventyone1111~!~~!!!!!!!!!!
Real fan: Nope! 1989!
Teeny: Nu-uh! Am3R1C4N 1D01+ c4M3 0u+ 1N 2004!!!!!!!11111oneoneone111!!!~~~~eleventyone
Real fan: Goodbye you stupid American Idiot Fan.
by I-Hate-Teenies November 4, 2010
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Get the idiodyssey mug.1. Urban Dictionary adds another idiord to the list.
2. There's no koobecaf in my dictionary. It's idiord!
2. There's no koobecaf in my dictionary. It's idiord!
by timlight January 29, 2010
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