Saturday, August 6, 2011

What Do You Know About The Mason-Dixon Line?

Did you know the Mason-Dixon Line was named for two British surveyors, who surveyed it between 1764 and 1767? Guess what their names were? Mason and Dixon.

What is it regarded as today? Of course - the demarcation point between the Northern States and the Southern states during the "Civil War" (well, that was a "duh" question, wasn't it?).

OK, next question: Did the Mason-Dixon line inspire the South's nickname of "Dixie",  as in "Look away, Dixie Land"? The answer is some historians say so. What do others think? They believe the nickname came from the ten-dollar note issued by Louisiana. The notes were called "dixies" because the word ten was written as the French dix. Louisiana was, as you know, steeped in the French culture and influence.

You can find out lots more about the Mason-Dixon line if you want to google it.The funny thing is that they continued to squabble over the boundaries long after the line was established!

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