Don’t forget Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina,a town near Kitty Hawk, on the Outer Banks,where the Wright brothers first flew their airplane in December 1903. A monument to them and their achievement is there, and appears on the town’s seal.
According to Wikipedia, “[t]he name Kill Devil Hills dates back to the Colonial era. Shipwrecks were common at the time, and many of the ships were transporting barrels of rum. When a ship foundered, local wreckers would scavenge what they could of the ship’s cargo before it sank, hiding their pilfered rum behind, and sometimes in, the same large sand dunes where the Wright Brothers would later perform glider tests, before flying their first plane from level ground nearby. Since rum was called “Kill Devil” by the English at the time the dunes became known as “Kill Devil Hills.”
Sam Long:
March 27th, 2013 at 11:19 pm
“Road[s]” or “roadstead” is a nautical term for an area near shore, not as sheltered as a harbor, where ships may “ride” at anchor. It’s used as a place-name in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Leave a comment
Search us!
Search The Word Detective and our family of websites:
This is the easiest way to find a column on a particular word or phrase.
To search for a specific phrase, put it between quotation marks. (note: JavaScript must be turned on in your browser to view results.)
Ask a Question!
Puzzled by Posh?
Confounded by Cattycorner?
Baffled by Balderdash?
Flummoxed by Flabbergast?
Perplexed by Pandemonium?
Nonplussed by... Nonplussed?
Annoyed by Alliteration?
Sam Long:
March 27th, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Don’t forget Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina,a town near Kitty Hawk, on the Outer Banks,where the Wright brothers first flew their airplane in December 1903. A monument to them and their achievement is there, and appears on the town’s seal.
According to Wikipedia, “[t]he name Kill Devil Hills dates back to the Colonial era. Shipwrecks were common at the time, and many of the ships were transporting barrels of rum. When a ship foundered, local wreckers would scavenge what they could of the ship’s cargo before it sank, hiding their pilfered rum behind, and sometimes in, the same large sand dunes where the Wright Brothers would later perform glider tests, before flying their first plane from level ground nearby. Since rum was called “Kill Devil” by the English at the time the dunes became known as “Kill Devil Hills.”
Sam Long:
March 27th, 2013 at 11:19 pm
“Road[s]” or “roadstead” is a nautical term for an area near shore, not as sheltered as a harbor, where ships may “ride” at anchor. It’s used as a place-name in Hampton Roads, Virginia.