Puerto Rico was settled by a succession of peoples beginning 2,000 to 4,000 years ago; these included the
Ortoiroid,
Saladoid, and
Taíno. It was then colonized by
Spain in 1493 following the arrival of
Christopher Columbus. Puerto Rico was contested by other European
powers, but remained a Spanish possession for the next four centuries. An influx of
African slaves and settlers primarily from the
Canary Islands and
Andalusia vastly changed the cultural and demographic landscape of the island. Within the
Spanish Empire, Puerto Rico played a secondary but strategic role compared to wealthier colonies like
Peru and
New Spain. By the late 19th century, a distinct Puerto Rican identity began to emerge, centered around a fusion of indigenous, African, and European elements. In 1898, following the
Spanish–American War, Puerto Rico was
acquired by the United States.
Tropical Storm Karen was a weak
tropical storm that impacted the
Lesser Antilles,
Virgin Islands, and
Puerto Rico in September 2019. The twelfth
tropical cyclone and eleventh
named storm of the
2019 Atlantic hurricane season, it originated from a
tropical wave which entered the
tropical Atlantic on September 14. The wave quickly organized as it neared the
Windward Islands on September 20, becoming a tropical depression just two days later. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Karen later that day, as it moved across the southern Windward Islands. By 18:00 UTC that day, Karen had reached its first peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of 45 mph (72 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1,003
millibars (29.6
inHg). Karen weakened back to a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on September 23. However, just 12 hours later, Karen re-intensified into a tropical storm. It then entered the central Atlantic, early the next day. Karen began to degrade on September 27, when it weakened into a tropical depression, due to strong wind shear. The system subsequently degenerated into a surface
trough later that day.
Karen caused significant flooding and widespread power outages in Trinidad and Tobago. Damage on the island of
Tobago reached $3.53 million (USD). Flooding and power outages also occurred in Puerto Rico where roughly 29,000 customers lost electricity. Only minimal impacts were reported in
Venezuela, the remainder of the Windward Islands, and the
British Virgin Islands. (Full article...)
Image 2
"Que Alguien Me Diga" (Someone Tell Me) is a song by Puerto Rican singer
Gilberto Santa Rosa from his 12th studio album, Expresión (1999). It was written by
Omar Alfanno with José Lugo and the artist handling its production. It is a
salsa track in which the singer is searching for unconditional love. Santa Rosa would later record a
ballad version. An accompanying
music video features the singer in a dark room surrounded by female musicians. Both versions of the song received airplay on Latin radio stations.
As an
amateur, Cotto represented Puerto Rico in the
lightweight and
light welterweight divisions at various international events, including the
1999 Pan American Games, the
2000 Olympics, and the
1998 Junior World Championships; the latter in which he won a lightweight silver medal. Having begun his professional career in 2001, Cotto defeated
Kelson Pinto for the WBO light welterweight title in 2004. He made six successful defenses before vacating the title to move up in weight. In his first
welterweight fight, in 2006, Cotto defeated
Carlos Quintana for the vacant
WBA title. He successfully defended it four times before a career first loss to
Antonio Margarito in 2008. The following year, Cotto won the vacant WBO welterweight title and defended it once before losing it to
Manny Pacquiao in the same year. (Full article...)
In 1887, Muñoz Rivera became part of the leadership of a newly formed Autonomist Party. In 1889, he successfully ran a campaign for the position of delegate in the district of
Caguas. Subsequently, Muñoz Rivera was a member of a group organized by the party to discuss proposals of autonomy with
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, who would grant Puerto Rico an autonomous government following his election. He served as Chief of the Cabinet of this government. (Full article...)
Image 6
Suavemente (English: Smoothly) is the debut studio album by American
merenguero recording artist
Elvis Crespo. Released by
Sony Music Latin on April 14, 1998, the album established Crespo as a leading artist in the
Latin music market. He collaborated with several songwriters and record producers to create an overall
tropical music-flavored recording.
With romantic
ballads and uptempo songs, Suavemente received favorable reviews from music critics who found the recording to contain energetic and catchy tracks. The album was commercially successful; it became the first merengue recording to peak at number one on the United States
BillboardTop Latin Albums chart. Suavemente peaked at number 106 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 chart. Two of its singles, "
Suavemente" and "
Tu Sonrisa", topped the U.S. BillboardHot Latin Songs chart; Crespo was recognized as becoming the first artist to have placed two merengue singles at number one. Suavemente was Crespo's commercial breakthrough, introducing him to the
popular music market with the
Spanglish remix of its title track. (Full article...)
Hurricane Greta was an extremely large late-season
Atlantic hurricane in the
1956 Atlantic hurricane season. Originating from a tropical depression near
Jamaica on October 30, the system initially featured non-tropical characteristics as it tracked northward. By November 2, the system began producing gale-force winds around the low-pressure area; however, winds near the center of circulation were calm. By November 3, the system intensified into a tropical storm and was named Greta. Steadily strengthening, Greta attained hurricane intensity on November 4, eventually reaching a peak intensity with 100 mph (160 km/h) winds. Shortly after, Greta began to gradually weaken as it tracked over cooler waters. The storm eventually became
extratropical on November 7 over the central Atlantic. Although Greta did not directly impact land as a tropical storm or hurricane, it generated large swells that impacted numerous areas. One person was killed in Puerto Rico and coastal damages from the waves amounted to roughly $3.6 million (1956 USD). (Full article...)
Image 9
Daniel Santos (June 6, 1916 – November 27, 1992) was a
Puerto Rican singer and
composer of
boleros, and an overall performer of multiple
Caribbean music genres, including
guaracha,
plena and
rumba. Over the course of his career he adopted several names created by the public and became known as "El Jefe" and "El Inquieto Anacobero". (Full article...)
Image 10
The currencies of Puerto Rico closely follow the historic development of
Puerto Rico. As a Province of
Spain (Autonomous Community) and a
territory of the
United States, Puerto Rico was granted the use of both foreign and provincial currencies. Following the
Spanish colonization in 1508, Puerto Rico became an important port, with its own supply of gold. However, as the mineral reserves ran empty within the century, the archipelago's economy suffered. The
Spanish Crown issued the Situado Mexicano, which meant that a semi-regular shipment of gold from the
Viceroyalty of New Spain would be sent to the island, as a way to provide economic support. Between 1636 and 1637,
Philip IV of Spain imposed a tax which had to be paid using a
revenue stamp. Inspired by this, Puerto Rico began producing
banknotes in 1766, becoming the first Overseas Province to print 8-real banknotes in the Spanish Empire and which in the Spanish government's approval of subsequent issues.
The situado was discontinued during the 19th century, creating an economic crisis, as a result of
Mexico gaining its independence from Spain.
Salvador Meléndez Bruna, the colonial governor in office, ordered the issue of provincial banknotes, creating the Puerto Rican peso. However, printing of these banknotes ceased after 1815. During the following decades, foreign
coins became the widespread currency. In the 1860s and 1870s, banknotes reemerged. On February 1, 1890, the Banco Español de Puerto Rico was inaugurated and began issuing banknotes. The bank designed four series and placed three in circulation under Spanish rule. In 1895, a Royal
Decree ordered the production of provincial peso coins. (Full article...)
Image 11
Surface weather map of Hazel near landfall in North Carolina on October 15
In Haiti, Hazel destroyed 40 percent of the coffee trees and 50 percent of the cacao crop, which affected the economy for several years. The hurricane made landfall near
Calabash, North Carolina, and destroyed most waterfront dwellings. It then traveled north along the
Atlantic coast. Hazel affected
Virginia;
Washington, D.C.;
West Virginia;
Maryland;
Delaware;
New Jersey;
Pennsylvania; and
New York. It brought gusts near 160 km/h (100 mph) and caused $281 million (1954
USD) in damage. When it was over Pennsylvania, Hazel consolidated with a cold front and turned northwest towards Canada. When it hit
Ontario as an extratropical storm, rivers and streams in and around Toronto overflowed their banks, which caused severe flooding. As a result, many residential areas in the local floodplains, such as the
Raymore Drive area, were subsequently converted to parkland. In Canada alone, over
C$135 million (2023: C$1.5 billion) of damage was incurred. (Full article...)
Image 12
The first person to officially occupy the position was
SpanishconquistadorJuan Ponce de León in 1509. At the time, the
Spanish monarchy was responsible for appointing the functionary who would perform this office. The first native
Puerto Rican to perform the function was
Juan Ponce de León II, as interim governor in 1579. During this administration, all of those appointed to take the position had served another function within the empire's government or the
Roman Catholic Church. In 1898, the United States invaded Puerto Rico and the Spanish government ceded control of the island to the United States. During the first two years, the entire government in Puerto Rico was appointed by the
president of the United States. In 1900, the American government approved the establishment of the
Foraker Act as a federal law, this act established a civilian government in the island. In 1947, the federal Elective Governor Act was enacted, which created a new system where, since 1948, the governor is
elected through a democratic process every four years. The governor is in charge of Puerto Rico's executive branch and is responsible for appointing executive branch agency heads, including the Secretary of State, who fulfills the role of lieutenant governor, the legislative branch's
ombudsman and
comptroller and all judges in the judicial branch. (Full article...)
Image 13
"A Puro Dolor" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican band
Son by Four. It was written by
Omar Alfanno and released as the first single of the
second studio album of the band in 2000. Two versions of the track were produced by Oscar Llord for the album; one as a
salsa and the other as a ballad. The ballad version was arranged by Alejandro Jaén.
The song reached number-one on
Billboard Top Latin Songs chart, and became the longest running chart topper of its history, spending 20 weeks at the top; this record was broken five years later by Colombian singer
Shakira with "
La Tortura" which spent 25 weeks at number-one. "A Puro Dolor" also reached the
Billboard 100; this led to the recording of an English-language version of the track "Purest of Pain", which was also charted in the United States. (Full article...)
Image 14
Contra la Corriente (Against the Current) is the third
studio album released by American singer
Marc Anthony on October 21, 1997, by
RMM Records. The album was produced by Puerto Rican musician
Angel "Cucco" Peña, with most of the songs written by Panamanian composer
Omar Alfanno. The album was well received by critics who praised the vocals of Anthony as well as the songs. The album produced six singles, four of which peaked on the top ten on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. Promoted by a sold-out concert in
Madison Square Garden, Contra la Corriente became the first salsa album to reach number one on the
Top Latin Albums chart and to chart on the
Billboard 200.
Contra la Corriente received a
Grammy Award and a
Latin Billboard Award, and was named the eighth best album of 1997 by Time magazine. It has sold over 400,000 copies as of 2000. The album received a
gold certification for shipping of 500,000 copies in the United States. This was the last album that Marc Anthony recorded under RMM Records before switching over to
Columbia Records to record his first
self-titled English album. (Full article...)
Image 15
In Puerto Rico,
boxing is considered a major sport, having produced more
amateur and
professional world champions than any other sport in its history. Puerto Rico ranks 5th worldwide between countries with most boxing world champions in history (only behind USA, Mexico, UK and Japan). Also, in year 2004, became the first country to have had, at least, one world champion in every single one of the 17 current boxing weight divisions throughout the history (Provided that John Ruiz is considered as Puerto Rican and not counting Bridgerweight division). Puerto Rico ranks first in champions per capita with an astonishing 16 in every one million people. February 9, 2008 was the first time that boxers from Puerto Rico had held three of the four major welterweights titles (
World Boxing Association,
International Boxing Federation and
World Boxing Organization) when
Carlos Quintana defeated
Paul Williams to join
Miguel Cotto, and
Kermit Cintron as champions in the division.
Individually, Puerto Rican world champions have earned numerous achievements. These include,
Wilfredo Gómez's record for most defenses in the super bantamweight division and for most successive knockouts by a titleholder. On March 6, 1976, at age 17,
Wilfred Benítez became the youngest world champion in the history of the sport. On September 3, 1994,
Daniel Jiménez established a world record for the quickest knockout in a championship fight, defeating Harald Geier in 17 seconds (currently the second fastest).
Juan Manuel López is sixth in this category, having defeated César Figueroa in 47 seconds during his first defense.
Ossie Ocasio was the first World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight champion, winning it on February 13, 1982. This accomplishment was mimicked in other organizations:
José de Jesús,
José Ruíz Matos,
John John Molina and
Héctor Camacho did it in their respective divisions in the World Boxing Organization (WBO). On June 7, 2014, Miguel Cotto made history by becoming Puerto Rico's first
four-division world champion. In
women's boxing, Amanda Serrano was the first IBF super featherweight champion and the first Puerto Rican boxer (male or female) to win major world titles in seven different weight classes (Camacho made it first, but four of his titles were considered minor world titles). Also, in 2023, Serrano was the first Puerto Rican to be Undisputed world champion in a single division (featherweight), having won the four belts on each of the major boxing organizations (WBO,WBC,IBF and later WBA). (Full article...)
July 25, 1952 - The
Constitution of Puerto Rico went into effect, and the islands were renamed as the Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).
The Music of
Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have primarily included
African,
TainoIndigenous, and
European influences. Puerto Rican music culture today comprises a wide and rich variety of genres, ranging from essentially native genres such as
bomba,
jíbaro,
seis,
danza, and
plena to more recent hybrid genres such as
salsa,
Latin trap and
reggaeton. Broadly conceived, the realm of "Puerto Rican music" should naturally comprise the music culture of the millions of people of Puerto Rican descent who have lived in the United States, especially in New York City. Their music, from salsa to the
boleros of
Rafael Hernández, cannot be separated from the music culture of Puerto Rico itself. (Full article...)
Pellot used the name Vic Power during his major league career, but played as Victor Pellot when he played winter baseball in
Puerto Rico. He was an AL
All-Star for four seasons playing in five of the six All-Star games that were played, and won seven consecutive
Gold Glove Awards. (Full article...)
... that Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintrón, is the first Hispanic to be named Chief of Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center?[1]
... that Dr. Orlando Figueroa a.k.a. NASAMarsCzar was Director for Mars Exploration and the Director for the Solar System Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters?[5]
... that Amri Hernández-Pellerano is a scientist who designed the power systems electronics for the WMAP mission. WMAP is a NASA
Explorer missionsatellite which measures the temperature of the
cosmic background
radiation over the full sky with unprecedented accuracy?[7]
... that Dr. Pedro Rodríguez, the Director of a test laboratory at
NASA and inventor of a portable, battery-operated lift seat for people suffering from knee
arthritis is the son of salsa singer
Pellín Rodríguez?[10]
Image 4The 45-star flag, used by the United States during the invasion of Puerto Rico, was also the official flag of Puerto Rico from 1899 to 1908. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 5Sugar cane workers resting at the noon hour,
Rio Piedras. Photograph by
Jack Delano, a photographer for the Farm Security Administration. Ca. 1941. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 6'La escuelo del Maestro Cordero' by Puerto Rican artist Francisco Oller. (from Culture of Puerto Rico)
Image 7Flag flown by Fidel Vélez and his men during the "Intentona de Yauco" revolt. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 10Los Reyes Magos painted by Hipolito Marte Martinez, "In Puerto Rico, Melchior is always represented with dark skin" (from Culture of Puerto Rico)
Image 12The first Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, established in 1900. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 13El Imparcial headline: "Aviation (US) bombs Utuado" during Nationalist revolts. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 14An 1899, caricature by
Louis Dalrymple (1866–1905), showing Uncle Sam harshly lecturing four black children labelled Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Cuba (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 15Raising the US Flag over San Juan, October 18, 1898. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 19The original Lares revolutionary flag. The first "Puerto Rican Flag" used in the unsuccessful Grito de Lares (Lares Uprising). (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 22"El desastre es la colonia" (the disaster is the colony), words seen on light meter six months after
Hurricane Maria (from Culture of Puerto Rico)
...industry is not a collection of machines and tools and buildings. It is a social entity that has the responsibility of realizing the happiness of those who work in it.
On
Wikipedia, anyone can edit. So if you're interested in Puerto Rico and its related subjects and articles, feel free to add and edit current content or
start a new article. After all, the Wikipedia community encourages all readers and users to
be bold in updating pages. If you're unsure on where to start, you can choose any of the open
tasks listed below. The
Puerto Rico WikiProject thanks you!
Puerto Rico was settled by a succession of peoples beginning 2,000 to 4,000 years ago; these included the
Ortoiroid,
Saladoid, and
Taíno. It was then colonized by
Spain in 1493 following the arrival of
Christopher Columbus. Puerto Rico was contested by other European
powers, but remained a Spanish possession for the next four centuries. An influx of
African slaves and settlers primarily from the
Canary Islands and
Andalusia vastly changed the cultural and demographic landscape of the island. Within the
Spanish Empire, Puerto Rico played a secondary but strategic role compared to wealthier colonies like
Peru and
New Spain. By the late 19th century, a distinct Puerto Rican identity began to emerge, centered around a fusion of indigenous, African, and European elements. In 1898, following the
Spanish–American War, Puerto Rico was
acquired by the United States.
Tropical Storm Karen was a weak
tropical storm that impacted the
Lesser Antilles,
Virgin Islands, and
Puerto Rico in September 2019. The twelfth
tropical cyclone and eleventh
named storm of the
2019 Atlantic hurricane season, it originated from a
tropical wave which entered the
tropical Atlantic on September 14. The wave quickly organized as it neared the
Windward Islands on September 20, becoming a tropical depression just two days later. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Karen later that day, as it moved across the southern Windward Islands. By 18:00 UTC that day, Karen had reached its first peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of 45 mph (72 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1,003
millibars (29.6
inHg). Karen weakened back to a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on September 23. However, just 12 hours later, Karen re-intensified into a tropical storm. It then entered the central Atlantic, early the next day. Karen began to degrade on September 27, when it weakened into a tropical depression, due to strong wind shear. The system subsequently degenerated into a surface
trough later that day.
Karen caused significant flooding and widespread power outages in Trinidad and Tobago. Damage on the island of
Tobago reached $3.53 million (USD). Flooding and power outages also occurred in Puerto Rico where roughly 29,000 customers lost electricity. Only minimal impacts were reported in
Venezuela, the remainder of the Windward Islands, and the
British Virgin Islands. (Full article...)
Image 2
"Que Alguien Me Diga" (Someone Tell Me) is a song by Puerto Rican singer
Gilberto Santa Rosa from his 12th studio album, Expresión (1999). It was written by
Omar Alfanno with José Lugo and the artist handling its production. It is a
salsa track in which the singer is searching for unconditional love. Santa Rosa would later record a
ballad version. An accompanying
music video features the singer in a dark room surrounded by female musicians. Both versions of the song received airplay on Latin radio stations.
As an
amateur, Cotto represented Puerto Rico in the
lightweight and
light welterweight divisions at various international events, including the
1999 Pan American Games, the
2000 Olympics, and the
1998 Junior World Championships; the latter in which he won a lightweight silver medal. Having begun his professional career in 2001, Cotto defeated
Kelson Pinto for the WBO light welterweight title in 2004. He made six successful defenses before vacating the title to move up in weight. In his first
welterweight fight, in 2006, Cotto defeated
Carlos Quintana for the vacant
WBA title. He successfully defended it four times before a career first loss to
Antonio Margarito in 2008. The following year, Cotto won the vacant WBO welterweight title and defended it once before losing it to
Manny Pacquiao in the same year. (Full article...)
In 1887, Muñoz Rivera became part of the leadership of a newly formed Autonomist Party. In 1889, he successfully ran a campaign for the position of delegate in the district of
Caguas. Subsequently, Muñoz Rivera was a member of a group organized by the party to discuss proposals of autonomy with
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, who would grant Puerto Rico an autonomous government following his election. He served as Chief of the Cabinet of this government. (Full article...)
Image 6
Suavemente (English: Smoothly) is the debut studio album by American
merenguero recording artist
Elvis Crespo. Released by
Sony Music Latin on April 14, 1998, the album established Crespo as a leading artist in the
Latin music market. He collaborated with several songwriters and record producers to create an overall
tropical music-flavored recording.
With romantic
ballads and uptempo songs, Suavemente received favorable reviews from music critics who found the recording to contain energetic and catchy tracks. The album was commercially successful; it became the first merengue recording to peak at number one on the United States
BillboardTop Latin Albums chart. Suavemente peaked at number 106 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 chart. Two of its singles, "
Suavemente" and "
Tu Sonrisa", topped the U.S. BillboardHot Latin Songs chart; Crespo was recognized as becoming the first artist to have placed two merengue singles at number one. Suavemente was Crespo's commercial breakthrough, introducing him to the
popular music market with the
Spanglish remix of its title track. (Full article...)
Hurricane Greta was an extremely large late-season
Atlantic hurricane in the
1956 Atlantic hurricane season. Originating from a tropical depression near
Jamaica on October 30, the system initially featured non-tropical characteristics as it tracked northward. By November 2, the system began producing gale-force winds around the low-pressure area; however, winds near the center of circulation were calm. By November 3, the system intensified into a tropical storm and was named Greta. Steadily strengthening, Greta attained hurricane intensity on November 4, eventually reaching a peak intensity with 100 mph (160 km/h) winds. Shortly after, Greta began to gradually weaken as it tracked over cooler waters. The storm eventually became
extratropical on November 7 over the central Atlantic. Although Greta did not directly impact land as a tropical storm or hurricane, it generated large swells that impacted numerous areas. One person was killed in Puerto Rico and coastal damages from the waves amounted to roughly $3.6 million (1956 USD). (Full article...)
Image 9
Daniel Santos (June 6, 1916 – November 27, 1992) was a
Puerto Rican singer and
composer of
boleros, and an overall performer of multiple
Caribbean music genres, including
guaracha,
plena and
rumba. Over the course of his career he adopted several names created by the public and became known as "El Jefe" and "El Inquieto Anacobero". (Full article...)
Image 10
The currencies of Puerto Rico closely follow the historic development of
Puerto Rico. As a Province of
Spain (Autonomous Community) and a
territory of the
United States, Puerto Rico was granted the use of both foreign and provincial currencies. Following the
Spanish colonization in 1508, Puerto Rico became an important port, with its own supply of gold. However, as the mineral reserves ran empty within the century, the archipelago's economy suffered. The
Spanish Crown issued the Situado Mexicano, which meant that a semi-regular shipment of gold from the
Viceroyalty of New Spain would be sent to the island, as a way to provide economic support. Between 1636 and 1637,
Philip IV of Spain imposed a tax which had to be paid using a
revenue stamp. Inspired by this, Puerto Rico began producing
banknotes in 1766, becoming the first Overseas Province to print 8-real banknotes in the Spanish Empire and which in the Spanish government's approval of subsequent issues.
The situado was discontinued during the 19th century, creating an economic crisis, as a result of
Mexico gaining its independence from Spain.
Salvador Meléndez Bruna, the colonial governor in office, ordered the issue of provincial banknotes, creating the Puerto Rican peso. However, printing of these banknotes ceased after 1815. During the following decades, foreign
coins became the widespread currency. In the 1860s and 1870s, banknotes reemerged. On February 1, 1890, the Banco Español de Puerto Rico was inaugurated and began issuing banknotes. The bank designed four series and placed three in circulation under Spanish rule. In 1895, a Royal
Decree ordered the production of provincial peso coins. (Full article...)
Image 11
Surface weather map of Hazel near landfall in North Carolina on October 15
In Haiti, Hazel destroyed 40 percent of the coffee trees and 50 percent of the cacao crop, which affected the economy for several years. The hurricane made landfall near
Calabash, North Carolina, and destroyed most waterfront dwellings. It then traveled north along the
Atlantic coast. Hazel affected
Virginia;
Washington, D.C.;
West Virginia;
Maryland;
Delaware;
New Jersey;
Pennsylvania; and
New York. It brought gusts near 160 km/h (100 mph) and caused $281 million (1954
USD) in damage. When it was over Pennsylvania, Hazel consolidated with a cold front and turned northwest towards Canada. When it hit
Ontario as an extratropical storm, rivers and streams in and around Toronto overflowed their banks, which caused severe flooding. As a result, many residential areas in the local floodplains, such as the
Raymore Drive area, were subsequently converted to parkland. In Canada alone, over
C$135 million (2023: C$1.5 billion) of damage was incurred. (Full article...)
Image 12
The first person to officially occupy the position was
SpanishconquistadorJuan Ponce de León in 1509. At the time, the
Spanish monarchy was responsible for appointing the functionary who would perform this office. The first native
Puerto Rican to perform the function was
Juan Ponce de León II, as interim governor in 1579. During this administration, all of those appointed to take the position had served another function within the empire's government or the
Roman Catholic Church. In 1898, the United States invaded Puerto Rico and the Spanish government ceded control of the island to the United States. During the first two years, the entire government in Puerto Rico was appointed by the
president of the United States. In 1900, the American government approved the establishment of the
Foraker Act as a federal law, this act established a civilian government in the island. In 1947, the federal Elective Governor Act was enacted, which created a new system where, since 1948, the governor is
elected through a democratic process every four years. The governor is in charge of Puerto Rico's executive branch and is responsible for appointing executive branch agency heads, including the Secretary of State, who fulfills the role of lieutenant governor, the legislative branch's
ombudsman and
comptroller and all judges in the judicial branch. (Full article...)
Image 13
"A Puro Dolor" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican band
Son by Four. It was written by
Omar Alfanno and released as the first single of the
second studio album of the band in 2000. Two versions of the track were produced by Oscar Llord for the album; one as a
salsa and the other as a ballad. The ballad version was arranged by Alejandro Jaén.
The song reached number-one on
Billboard Top Latin Songs chart, and became the longest running chart topper of its history, spending 20 weeks at the top; this record was broken five years later by Colombian singer
Shakira with "
La Tortura" which spent 25 weeks at number-one. "A Puro Dolor" also reached the
Billboard 100; this led to the recording of an English-language version of the track "Purest of Pain", which was also charted in the United States. (Full article...)
Image 14
Contra la Corriente (Against the Current) is the third
studio album released by American singer
Marc Anthony on October 21, 1997, by
RMM Records. The album was produced by Puerto Rican musician
Angel "Cucco" Peña, with most of the songs written by Panamanian composer
Omar Alfanno. The album was well received by critics who praised the vocals of Anthony as well as the songs. The album produced six singles, four of which peaked on the top ten on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. Promoted by a sold-out concert in
Madison Square Garden, Contra la Corriente became the first salsa album to reach number one on the
Top Latin Albums chart and to chart on the
Billboard 200.
Contra la Corriente received a
Grammy Award and a
Latin Billboard Award, and was named the eighth best album of 1997 by Time magazine. It has sold over 400,000 copies as of 2000. The album received a
gold certification for shipping of 500,000 copies in the United States. This was the last album that Marc Anthony recorded under RMM Records before switching over to
Columbia Records to record his first
self-titled English album. (Full article...)
Image 15
In Puerto Rico,
boxing is considered a major sport, having produced more
amateur and
professional world champions than any other sport in its history. Puerto Rico ranks 5th worldwide between countries with most boxing world champions in history (only behind USA, Mexico, UK and Japan). Also, in year 2004, became the first country to have had, at least, one world champion in every single one of the 17 current boxing weight divisions throughout the history (Provided that John Ruiz is considered as Puerto Rican and not counting Bridgerweight division). Puerto Rico ranks first in champions per capita with an astonishing 16 in every one million people. February 9, 2008 was the first time that boxers from Puerto Rico had held three of the four major welterweights titles (
World Boxing Association,
International Boxing Federation and
World Boxing Organization) when
Carlos Quintana defeated
Paul Williams to join
Miguel Cotto, and
Kermit Cintron as champions in the division.
Individually, Puerto Rican world champions have earned numerous achievements. These include,
Wilfredo Gómez's record for most defenses in the super bantamweight division and for most successive knockouts by a titleholder. On March 6, 1976, at age 17,
Wilfred Benítez became the youngest world champion in the history of the sport. On September 3, 1994,
Daniel Jiménez established a world record for the quickest knockout in a championship fight, defeating Harald Geier in 17 seconds (currently the second fastest).
Juan Manuel López is sixth in this category, having defeated César Figueroa in 47 seconds during his first defense.
Ossie Ocasio was the first World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight champion, winning it on February 13, 1982. This accomplishment was mimicked in other organizations:
José de Jesús,
José Ruíz Matos,
John John Molina and
Héctor Camacho did it in their respective divisions in the World Boxing Organization (WBO). On June 7, 2014, Miguel Cotto made history by becoming Puerto Rico's first
four-division world champion. In
women's boxing, Amanda Serrano was the first IBF super featherweight champion and the first Puerto Rican boxer (male or female) to win major world titles in seven different weight classes (Camacho made it first, but four of his titles were considered minor world titles). Also, in 2023, Serrano was the first Puerto Rican to be Undisputed world champion in a single division (featherweight), having won the four belts on each of the major boxing organizations (WBO,WBC,IBF and later WBA). (Full article...)
July 25, 1952 - The
Constitution of Puerto Rico went into effect, and the islands were renamed as the Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).
The Music of
Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have primarily included
African,
TainoIndigenous, and
European influences. Puerto Rican music culture today comprises a wide and rich variety of genres, ranging from essentially native genres such as
bomba,
jíbaro,
seis,
danza, and
plena to more recent hybrid genres such as
salsa,
Latin trap and
reggaeton. Broadly conceived, the realm of "Puerto Rican music" should naturally comprise the music culture of the millions of people of Puerto Rican descent who have lived in the United States, especially in New York City. Their music, from salsa to the
boleros of
Rafael Hernández, cannot be separated from the music culture of Puerto Rico itself. (Full article...)
Pellot used the name Vic Power during his major league career, but played as Victor Pellot when he played winter baseball in
Puerto Rico. He was an AL
All-Star for four seasons playing in five of the six All-Star games that were played, and won seven consecutive
Gold Glove Awards. (Full article...)
... that Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintrón, is the first Hispanic to be named Chief of Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center?[1]
... that Dr. Orlando Figueroa a.k.a. NASAMarsCzar was Director for Mars Exploration and the Director for the Solar System Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters?[5]
... that Amri Hernández-Pellerano is a scientist who designed the power systems electronics for the WMAP mission. WMAP is a NASA
Explorer missionsatellite which measures the temperature of the
cosmic background
radiation over the full sky with unprecedented accuracy?[7]
... that Dr. Pedro Rodríguez, the Director of a test laboratory at
NASA and inventor of a portable, battery-operated lift seat for people suffering from knee
arthritis is the son of salsa singer
Pellín Rodríguez?[10]
Image 4The 45-star flag, used by the United States during the invasion of Puerto Rico, was also the official flag of Puerto Rico from 1899 to 1908. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 5Sugar cane workers resting at the noon hour,
Rio Piedras. Photograph by
Jack Delano, a photographer for the Farm Security Administration. Ca. 1941. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 6'La escuelo del Maestro Cordero' by Puerto Rican artist Francisco Oller. (from Culture of Puerto Rico)
Image 7Flag flown by Fidel Vélez and his men during the "Intentona de Yauco" revolt. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 10Los Reyes Magos painted by Hipolito Marte Martinez, "In Puerto Rico, Melchior is always represented with dark skin" (from Culture of Puerto Rico)
Image 12The first Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, established in 1900. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 13El Imparcial headline: "Aviation (US) bombs Utuado" during Nationalist revolts. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 14An 1899, caricature by
Louis Dalrymple (1866–1905), showing Uncle Sam harshly lecturing four black children labelled Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Cuba (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 15Raising the US Flag over San Juan, October 18, 1898. (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 19The original Lares revolutionary flag. The first "Puerto Rican Flag" used in the unsuccessful Grito de Lares (Lares Uprising). (from History of Puerto Rico)
Image 22"El desastre es la colonia" (the disaster is the colony), words seen on light meter six months after
Hurricane Maria (from Culture of Puerto Rico)
...industry is not a collection of machines and tools and buildings. It is a social entity that has the responsibility of realizing the happiness of those who work in it.
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