document_title: Valley of Fire State Park

question_text: what caused the unusual landscape at the valley of fire

text: Valley of Fire State Park

text: Geology[edit]

text: Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape. The rough floor and jagged walls of the park contain brilliant formations of eroded sandstone and sand dunes more than 150 million years old. Other important rock formations include limestones, shales, and conglomerates.[4]

text: History[edit]

text: Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Ancient Pueblo Peoples, also known as the Anasazi, who were farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley. Their approximate span of occupation has been dated from 300 BC to 1150 AD. Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited their stay. Fine examples of rock art (petroglyphs) left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park.[4]

text: The creation of Valley of Fire State Park began with transfer of 8,760 acres (3,550 ha) of federal land to the state at Nevada in 1931.[6] Work on the park was initiated by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. During the years of their employment, which continued into the early 1940s, the CCC workers built campgrounds, trails, stone visitor cabins, ramadas, and roads.[8] The park opened in 1934; it achieved official designation by the state legislature in 1935.[5]

text: Climate[edit]

text: The Valley of Fire State Park has a dry and warm climate typical of the Mojave Desert in which it lies. Winters are mild with daytime temperatures ranging from 54 °F (12 °C) to 75 °F (24 °C). and over night lows in the mid 30°F's to mid 40°F's (3-8°C). Storms moving east from the Pacific Ocean occasionally bring rain during winter months. Daily summer highs usually range from 100 °F (38 °C) to 115 °F (46 °C) and on occasion may reach near 120 °F (49 °C). Thunderstorms from the Southwestern Monsoon can produce heavy showers during summer. The average annual precipitation is 6.50" (165.1mm).

text:
hideClimate data for Valley of Fire SP, Nevada

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year

Record high °F (°C)
74
(23)
87
(31)
93
(34)
100
(38)
111
(44)
117
(47)
117
(47)
115
(46)
110
(43)
102
(39)
87
(31)
74
(23)
117
(47)

Average high °F (°C)
58.0
(14.4)
62.4
(16.9)
70.5
(21.4)
79.3
(26.3)
89.9
(32.2)
100.0
(37.8)
105.4
(40.8)
103.3
(39.6)
95.8
(35.4)
81.9
(27.7)
67.2
(19.6)
57.0
(13.9)
81.0
(27.2)

Average low °F (°C)
38.9
(3.8)
42.9
(6.1)
48.4
(9.1)
55.1
(12.8)
64.8
(18.2)
74.2
(23.4)
80.8
(27.1)
78.8
(26)
71.0
(21.7)
58.7
(14.8)
46.7
(8.2)
38.3
(3.5)
58.3
(14.6)

Record low °F (°C)
19
(−7)
18
(−8)
29
(−2)
29
(−2)
42
(6)
48
(9)
60
(16)
61
(16)
49
(9)
38
(3)
19
(−7)
12
(−11)
12
(−11)

Average precipitation inches (mm)
0.83
(21.1)
1.05
(26.7)
0.81
(20.6)
0.24
(6.1)
0.10
(2.5)
0.10
(2.5)
0.62
(15.7)
0.64
(16.3)
0.34
(8.6)
0.52
(13.2)
0.49
(12.4)
0.76
(19.3)
6.50
(165.1)

Source: Western Regional Climate Center[9]

text: Valley of Fire Road[edit]

text: Valley of Fire Road is the main road accessing and traversing through the park. The 10.5-mile (16.9 km) section of the road between the east and west entrances of the park was officially designated as a Nevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995.[10]

text: Activities and amenities[edit]

text: The park has a visitors center plus facilities for picnicking, camping, and hiking.[3] Petroglyphs are seen throughout the park, with Mouse's Tank and Atlatl Rock two areas in particular with numerous petroglyphs that are relatively easily accessible.[4] The park also preserves three stone cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

text: Film history[edit]

text: Valley of Fire is a popular location for shooting automobile commercials and other commercial photography. It has provided a setting for the following films and television shows:

text:
Viva Las Vegas starring Elvis Presley had multiple shots filmed in the park during the racing scenes for the film's finale in 1963.
The Professionals with Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, and Claudia Cardinale was filmed in 1966. Valley of Fire was one of three locations used in the film. All that remains of the set is a portion of a rock wall of a hacienda.[11]
The outside Mars scenes from Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, were almost totally shot in Valley of Fire.[12]
The scenes from planet Veridian III from Star Trek Generations were filmed here in 1994.[13] The Silica Dome is particularly highlighted for Star Trek fans as the site of iconic starship captain James T. Kirk's death and burial.

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
Elephant Rock

Windstone Arch

Fire Canyon Arch

Fire Wave - a formation similar to The Wave in Arizona

White Domes trail


document_title: Houston Rockets

question_text: where did the rockets play before the toyota center

question_tokens: where did the rockets play before the toyota center

root

text: Houston Rockets

text: Franchise history[edit]

text: 1967–1971: San Diego Rockets[edit]

text: The Rockets were founded in 1967 in San Diego by Robert Breitbard, who paid an entry fee of US $1.75 million to join the NBA as an expansion team for the 1967–68 NBA season.[7][8] The NBA wanted to add more teams in the Western United States, and chose San Diego based on the city's strong economic and population growth, along with the local success of an ice hockey team owned by Breitbard, the San Diego Gulls. The resulting contest to name the franchise chose the name "Rockets", which paid homage to San Diego's theme of "a city in motion" and the local arm of General Dynamics developing the Atlas missile and booster rocket program.[7][9] Breitbard brought in Jack McMahon, then coach of the Cincinnati Royals, to serve as the Rockets' coach and general manager.[9][10] The team, that would join the league along with the Seattle SuperSonics, then built its roster with both veteran players at an expansion draft, and college players from the 1967 NBA draft, where San Diego's first ever draft pick was Pat Riley.[9][11] The Rockets lost 67 games in their inaugural season,[12] which was an NBA record for losses in a season at the time.[13]

tag: p

text: In 1968, after the Rockets won a coin toss against the Baltimore Bullets to determine who would have the first overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft,[14] they selected Elvin Hayes from the University of Houston.[15] Hayes improved the Rockets' record to 37 wins and 45 losses, enough for the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969,[16] but the Rockets lost in the semi-finals of the Western Division to the Atlanta Hawks, four games to two.[16] Despite the additions of Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich and the management of Hall of Fame coach Alex Hannum, the Rockets tallied a 67–97 record in the following two seasons and did not make the playoffs in either season.[17][18] Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team,[7] and in 1971, Texas Sports Investments bought the franchise for $5.6 million, and moved the team to Houston.[7] The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas,[19] and the nickname "Rockets" took on even greater relevance after the move, given Houston's long connection to the space industry.[20]

text: 1971–1976: Improving in Houston with Murphy and Rudy-T[edit]

text: Before the start of the 1971–72 NBA season, Hannum left for the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association – later renamed Denver Nuggets, who joined the NBA in 1976 – [21] and Tex Winter was hired in his place.[22] However, Winter's clashes with Hayes, due to a system that contrasted with the offensive style to which Hayes was accustomed, made Hayes ask for a trade, leaving for the Baltimore Bullets at the end of the 1971–72 season.[23]

text: It was also around this time that the Rockets would unveil their classic yellow and red logo and accompanying uniforms used until the end of the 1994–95 season.[8] Winter left soon after, being fired in January 1973 following a ten-game losing streak, and was replaced by Johnny Egan.[24] Egan led the Rockets back to the playoffs in 1975, where the franchise also managed to win their first round against the New York Knicks, subsequently losing to the veteran Boston Celtics in 5 games. At that time the Rockets gained popularity in Houston, selling out several home games during the regular season as the Rockets battled for a playoff spot and then selling out all of their home playoff games.[25]

text: 1976–1982: The Moses Malone era[edit]

text: In the 1975–76 NBA season the Rockets finally had a permanent home in Houston as they moved into The Summit, which they would call home for the next 29 years. During the period, the franchise was owned by Kenneth Schnitzer, developer of the Greenway Plaza which included The Summit.[26] After missing the 1976 playoffs, Tom Nissalke was hired as a coach, and pressed the team to add a play-making guard in college standout John Lucas and a rebounding center through Moses Malone, who he had coached in the ABA.[27] The additions had an immediate impact, with the 1976–77 Rockets winning the Central Division and going all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2.[28] The following season had the team regressing to just 28 wins due to an injury to captain Tomjanovich, who got numerous facial fractures after being punched by Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers and wound up spending five months in rehabilitation.[29][30][31] After trading Lucas to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Rick Barry,[32] the Rockets returned to the playoffs in 1978–79, with "The Chairman Of The Boards" Moses Malone receiving the 1979 MVP Award,[33] but the team was swept 2–0 by Atlanta in the first round.[34] Nissalke was let go, and assistant Del Harris was promoted to head coach.[35]

text: In 1979, George Maloof, a businessperson from Albuquerque, New Mexico, bought the Rockets for $9 million. He died the following year, and while the Maloof family expressed interest in selling the team, George's 24-year-old son Gavin took over the Rockets. A buyer was eventually found in 1982 as businessman Charlie Thomas and Sidney Shlenker purchased the franchise for $11 million. The Maloof period of ownership marked the first dominant period of the Rockets,[36][37][38] highlighted by the team's first NBA Finals appearance in 1981. Prior to the 1980–81 season, the arrival of the Dallas Mavericks led to an NBA realignment that sent the Rockets back to the Western Conference.[39] Houston qualified for the playoffs only in the final game of the season with a 40–42 record.[40] The post-season had the Rockets beat the Lakers, in-state rivals San Antonio Spurs, and the equally underdog Kansas City Kings to become only the second team in NBA history (after the 1959 Minneapolis Lakers) to have advanced to the Finals after achieving a losing record in the regular season.[41] In the final round facing Larry Bird's Boston Celtics in the finals round, the Rockets blew a late lead in Game 1 and won Game 2 at the Boston Garden. However, afterwards the team failed to capitalize on the early success against the favored Celtics, and eventually lost in six games.[42]

text: While new owner Charlie Thomas expressed interest in renewing with Moses Malone,[37] who had been again chosen as MVP in 1981–82,[33] the Rockets traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caldwell Jones, as a declining regional economy made the Rockets unable to pay Malone's salary.[43] When the Rockets finished a league worst 14–68,[44] Celtics coach Bill Fitch was hired to replace outgoing Del Harris,[43] and the team won the first pick of the 1983 NBA draft,[43] used to select Ralph Sampson from the University of Virginia.[45] Sampson had good numbers and was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year award,[46] but the Rockets still finished last overall, again getting the top pick at the upcoming 1984 NBA draft, used to select Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston.[47]

text: 1984–2001: The Hakeem Olajuwon era[edit]

text: 1984–1987: The Twin Towers era[edit]

text: In his first season, Olajuwon finished second to Michael Jordan in NBA Rookie of the Year balloting,[48] and the Rockets record improved by 19 games, good enough for a return to the playoffs as the third best team in the West, where they were upset by the sixth-seeded Utah Jazz.[49] The Olajuwon and Sampson duo earned much praise, and was nicknamed "Twin Towers".[50] In the following season, Houston won the Midwest Division title with a 51–31 record. The subsequent playoffs had the Rockets sweeping the Sacramento Kings, having a hard-fought six-game series with Alex English's Denver Nuggets, and then facing defending champion Lakers, losing the first game but eventually managing to win the series – the only Western Playoffs defeat of the Showtime Lakers – to get to the franchise's second Finals appearance.[51] The NBA Finals once again matched the Rockets up against the Celtics, a contrast to Houston's young front challenging the playoff-hardened Celtics front court of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. The Celtics won the first two games in Boston, gave the Rockets their only home playoff defeat that season in game 4, and clinched the title as Bird scored a triple-double on Game 6.[51][52]

text: After the Finals, Boston coach K.C. Jones called the Rockets "the new monsters on the block" feeling they had a bright future. But the team had a poor start to the following season amidst players getting injured or suspended for cocaine usage, and during the playoffs were defeated in the second round by Seattle SuperSonics in six games, with the final game being a double-overtime classic that saw Olajuwon notching 49 points, 25 rebounds and 6 blocks in defeat. Early in the 1987–88 season, Sampson, who had signed a new contract, was traded to the Golden State Warriors, bringing the Twin Towers era to an end just 18 months after their Finals appearance.[53] Sampson's once-promising career was shortened due to chronic knee injuries, which forced his retirement in 1991. Jones' prophecy of a Rockets dynasty never materialized until the early 1990s.[54]

text: 1987–1992: Lean years[edit]

text: In the next five seasons, the Rockets either failed to qualify for the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round.[55][56][57] The first elimination in 1988 led to Fitch's dismissal, with Don Chaney replacing him as head coach.[58] Chaney, like Olajuwon, also played for the Houston Cougars under Guy Lewis, having played along Elvin Hayes in the late 1960s. Chaney had his best season during 1990–91, where he was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Rockets to a 52-30 record despite Olajuwon's absence due to injury for 25 games.[58][59] Despite Olajuwon's usual strong numbers, the underwhelming roster could not be lifted out of mediocrity. However, the attempts to rebuild the team nucleus incorporated players that would later make an impact in the years to come, such as Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, Sam Cassell and Otis Thorpe.[60]

text: Midway through the 1991–92 season, with the Rockets' record only 26–26, Chaney was fired and replaced by his assistant Rudy Tomjanovich, a former Houston player himself.[61] While the Rockets did not make the playoffs,[62] Tomjanovich's arrival was considered a step forward. In the next year, the Rockets improved their record by 13 games, getting the Midwest Division title, and winning their first playoff series in 6 years by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers, before an elimination by the SuperSonics in a closely contested Game 7 overtime loss.[63]

text: 1993–1995: Clutch City championships[edit]

text: On July 30, 1993, Leslie Alexander purchased the Rockets for $85 million.[64] Following the bitter Game 7 loss in Seattle in overtime, Olajuwon gathered the team and famously stated "we go from here".[citation needed] The next season, in Tomjanovich's second full year as head coach, the Rockets began the 1993–94 season by tying an NBA record with a start of 15–0.[65] Led by Olajuwon, who was named the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year,[66] the Rockets won a franchise-record 58 games.[67][68] After quickly dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers (who had made the finals just two years prior) in 4 games, they then faced the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns, led by the previous year's MVP Charles Barkley. The series opened up in Houston, which saw the Rockets open up a big lead going into the fourth quarter. In both games, however, the Rockets inexplicably collapsed to allow the Suns a 2-0 lead going back to Phoenix. Following recent heart-breaking playoff losses by the Houston Oilers, it appeared as though the Rockets were doomed. Local newspapers labeled Houston as "Choke City", which the Rockets took to heart and ultimately came back to win the series in seven games. As "Choke City" became "Clutch City", the name permanently became a part of Houston folklore. The Rockets then soon defeated John Stockton and Karl Malone's Utah Jazz in five in the Conference Finals to advance to their third finals.[69] The New York Knicks opened a 3-2 advantage, but the Rockets managed to win the last two games on their home court and claimed their first championship in franchise history.[67] Olajuwon was awarded the Finals MVP, after averaging 27 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots a game.[66]

text: The Rockets initially struggled in the first half of the 1994–95 season,[70] which they fixed by sending Otis Thorpe to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Olajuwon's former college teammate Clyde Drexler.[71] With only 47 wins, the Rockets entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Still, a strong playoff run that earned Houston the nickname "Clutch City" had the Rockets defeating the West's top three seeds – the Jazz, Suns and Spurs – to reach back-to-back finals, this time against the Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. When Houston swept the series in four straight games,[72] they became the first team in NBA history to win the championship as a sixth seed, and the first to beat four 50-win teams in a single postseason en route to the championship.[73] Olajuwon was again the Finals MVP, only the second player after Michael Jordan to win the award two years in a row.[74] It was on the floor of The Summit after they captured their second title that head coach Rudy Tomjanovich proclaimed, "Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion!"[citation needed]

text: 1995–2002: Post-Championship and rebuilding[edit]

text: During the offseason, the Rockets went for a change of visual identity, making navy blue and silver the new primary colors while adopting a new cartoon-inspired logo and pinstriped jerseys.[75] The Rockets won 48 games in the 1995–96 season,[76] in which Olajuwon became the NBA's all-time leader in blocked shots.[77] The playoffs had the Rockets beating the Lakers before a sweep by the SuperSonics.[76]

text: Before the start of the succeeding season, the Rockets sent four players to Phoenix in exchange for Charles Barkley.[78] The resulting "Big Three" of Olajuwon, Drexler, and Barkley had a strong debut season with a 57–25 record,[79] going all the way to the Western Conference finals before losing to the Utah Jazz 4–2 on a dramatic last-second shot by John Stockton.[80] The following season was marked by injuries, and Houston finished 41–41 and the 8th seed, leading to another elimination by the top-seeded Jazz.[81]

text: Drexler retired after the season,[82] and the Rockets traded to bring in Scottie Pippen to take his place.[83] In the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, the Rockets lost to the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.[84] After the 1999 draft, the Rockets traded for the second overall pick Steve Francis from the Vancouver Grizzlies, in exchange for four players and a first-round draft pick.[85] However, after Houston traded a discontented Pippen to Portland,[86] and Barkley suffered a career-ending injury,[87] the rebuilt Rockets went 34–48 and missed the playoffs,[88] for only the second time in 15 years.[67]

text: In the 2000–01 season, the Rockets worked their way to a 45–37 record. However, in a competitive Western Conference where seven teams won 50 games, this left the Rockets two games out of the playoffs.[89] In the following offseason, a 38-year-old Olajuwon requested a trade, and, despite stating their desire to keep him, the Rockets reached a sign-and-trade agreement, sending him to the Toronto Raptors.[90] The ensuing 2001–02 season—the first without Hakeem in two decades—was unremarkable, and the Rockets finished with only 28 wins.[91]

text: 2002–2009: Return to relevance[edit]

text: After Houston was awarded the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, they selected Yao Ming, a 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) Chinese center.[92] The Rockets missed the 2003 playoffs by one game, improving their record by 15 victories.[93][94]

text: The 2003–04 season marked the Rockets' arrival to a new arena, the Toyota Center,[95] a redesign of their uniforms and logo,[96] and their first season without Rudy Tomjanovich, who resigned as head coach after being diagnosed with bladder cancer.[97] Led by former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy,[98] the Rockets finished the regular season with a record of 45–37,[99] earning their first playoff berth since 1999,[67] again losing to the Lakers in the first round.[99]

text: In the offseason, Houston saw major changes in the roster as the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady in a seven-player deal with the Orlando Magic.[100] The scoring champion McGrady and the strong rebounder Yao formed a well-regarded pair that helped the Rockets win 22 consecutive games in the 2007–08 NBA season, which was at the time the 3rd longest winning streak in NBA history. Still, the duo was plagued with injuries – of the 463 regular season games for which they were teammates, Yao missed 146 and McGrady 160 – and did not win any playoff series, despite gathering leads over the Dallas Mavericks in 2005 and the Jazz in 2007.[101] After the 2007 elimination, Van Gundy was fired,[102] and the Rockets hired Rick Adelman to replace him.[103]

text: For the 2008–09 season, the Rockets signed forward Ron Artest. While McGrady wound up playing only half the games before enduring a season-ending microfracture surgery,[104] the Rockets ended the season 53–29, enough for the Western Conference's fifth seed. During the playoffs, the Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers four games to two, winning their first round since 1997.[105] During the series, Dikembe Mutombo injured his knee, which forced him to retire after 18 seasons in the NBA.[106] However, the second round against the Lakers had the Rockets losing 4-3 and Yao Ming suffering yet another season-ending injury, this time a hairline fracture in his left foot.[107]

text: 2009–2012: "Competitive rebuilding"[edit]

text: During the 2009–10 season, the Rockets saw the departures of Artest in the offseason and McGrady, Joey Dorsey and Carl Landry during mid-season trades. Despite great play by Kevin Martin, who arrived from the Kings, and Aaron Brooks, who would eventually be chosen as the Most Improved Player of the season, the Rockets could not make it to the playoffs, finishing 42–40, 3rd in the Southwest Division. At that time, the Rockets set an NBA record for best record by a team with no All-Stars.[108][109] The Rockets would also finish ninth in the Western Conference for the following two seasons,[110][111] with Yao Ming getting a season-ending injury seven games into the 2010–11 season and deciding to retire during the 2011 offseason.[112] Said offseason, which saw the NBA going through a lockout, had Adelman dismissed,[113] and general manager Daryl Morey deciding to start a revamp of the Rockets based on advanced statistical analytics (similar to sabermetrics in baseball) in player acquisitions and style of play. Kevin McHale was named head coach, and the roster saw significant changes.[114]

text: 2012–present: The James Harden era[edit]

text: After the roster moves made by Morey during the 2012 NBA offseason,[114] only four players were left from the 2011–12 Rockets roster: Chandler Parsons, Greg Smith, Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson,[115] with the latter two leaving through trades during the 2012–13 NBA season.[114] The most important acquisition was reigning sixth man of the year James Harden, who Morey called a "foundational" player which he expected to be Houston's featured player after a supporting role in the Oklahoma City Thunder.[116] Harden caused an immediate impact as part of the starting lineup for the Rockets, with 37 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and a block in the season opener against the Detroit Pistons,[117] and an average of 25.9 points a game through the season. Combining Harden's performance and McHale's up-tempo offense, the Rockets became one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA, leading the league in scoring for the majority of the season.[114][118] In the post-season, the Rockets fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, losing the series 4–2.[119]

text: Eager to add another franchise player to their team, the Rockets heavily pursued free agent center Dwight Howard in the 2013 offseason. He officially signed with the Rockets on July 13, 2013.[120] Led by the new inside-out combination of Howard and James Harden, and with a strong supporting cast including Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, and Ömer Aşık, the Rockets were expected to jump into title contention in the upcoming season.[121] However, in the post-season, the Rockets were defeated in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers, losing the series 4–2.[122] Still, in the 2014–15 season, without Lin and Parsons but reinforced by Trevor Ariza, the Rockets started the season well, winning the first four games of the season for the first time since 1996–97,[123] and winning each of their first six games by 10 points or more, the first team to accomplish this feat since the 1985–86 Denver Nuggets.[124] While the Rockets had many key players miss time throughout the entire season, James Harden took it upon himself to keep the Rockets near the top of the conference, turning him into an MVP front-runner. He became the first Rocket to score 50 points in a game since Hakeem Olajuwon,[125] as well as the only player in franchise history to record multiple 50 point games in a season.[126] On April 15, 2015, the Rockets beat the Jazz to claim their first ever Southwest Division title and first Division crown since 1994, and by completing 56 wins finished with the third-best regular season record in franchise history.[127] During the playoffs, the Rockets beat the Mavericks 4–1 in the first round, and overcame a 3–1 deficit against the Los Angeles Clippers to win the Western Semifinals and return to the Conference Finals for the first time in 18 years.[128] In the Conference Finals, the Rockets were defeated by the Golden State Warriors 4–1.[129]

text: The 2015–16 season saw Kevin McHale fired after a bad start where the team only won 4 of its first 11 games, and assistant J. B. Bickerstaff took over coaching duties.[130] Inconsistent play led to the Rockets struggling to remain in the playoff qualifying zone,[131] and surrounded by trade rumors.[132] Houston only clinched its 2016 playoffs spot by winning its last game, finishing the season 41–41 to earn an eight seed and a match-up against the Warriors.[133] Like in the previous year, the Rockets were once again defeated by Golden State in 5 games.[134]

text: During the 2016 offseason, Mike D'Antoni was named as the Rockets' new head coach,[135] and Dwight Howard opted out of his contract's last year, becoming a free agent.[136] In the following free-agency period the Rockets looked to embrace the play styles of both coach D'Antoni and Harden, through the signings of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon, two predominately perimeter players and good fits in Houston's up-tempo offense style.[137]

text: When the 2016–17 season started, Harden was off to a great start and was widely considered a top MVP runner along with Kawhi Leonard plus former teammate Russell Westbrook.[by whom?] When the season ended, the Rockets were third in both the Western Conference and overall rankings, a major improvement from the season before. D'Antoni was named the NBA Coach of the Year, Eric Gordon the Sixth Man of the Year, and Harden finished second in MVP voting to Russell Westbrook. In the playoffs, the Rockets faced the sixth seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in a battle of the MVP frontrunners, as the winner was not announced until after the finals. The Rockets won the series 4–1 including Nene Hilario's perfect 12–12 in field goals in Game 4. But they went on to lose to the San Antonio Spurs in a six-game series, despite blowing out the Spurs in game 1 by 27 points. The Spurs tied the series 2-2 and held on to win game 5 as Manu Ginobili blocked James Harden's game tying three point attempt as time ran out, and won game 6 by 39 points, as with Nene's injury, the Rockets could not guard Lamarcus Aldridge, who scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

text: On June 28, 2017, perennial All-Star Chris Paul was acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, in exchange for Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, Kyle Wiltjer, Montrezl Harrell, cash considerations, and a 2018 first round draft pick, which is top three protected.[138][139]

text: It was reported on 5 September, 2017 that Houston restaurant billionaire Tilman Fertitta had reached an agreement with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander to purchase the team, pending league approval[140] The $2.2 billion sale price breaks the record for the price to purchase an American professional sports team, breaking the $2 billion record jointly held by the sale prices of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014.[141]

text: Season-by-season record[edit]

text: List of the last five seasons completed by the Rockets. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Houston Rockets seasons.

text: Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Winning percentage

text:
Season
GP
W
L
 %
Finish
Playoffs

2012–13
82
45
37
.549
3rd, Southwest
Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Thunder)

2013–14
82
54
28
.659
2nd, Southwest
Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Trail Blazers)

2014–15
82
56
26
.683
1st, Southwest
Lost in Conference Finals, 1–4 (Warriors)

2015–16
82
41
41
.500
4th, Southwest
Lost in First Round, 1–4 (Warriors)

2016–17
82
55
27
.671
2nd, Southwest
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2–4 (Spurs)

tag: table

text: Home arenas[edit]

text: During the four years the Rockets were in San Diego, they played their games in the San Diego Sports Arena,[7] which had a seating capacity of 14,400.[142] In their first season after moving to Houston, the Rockets did not have their own arena, and they played their first two years at various venues in the city, including the Astrodome, AstroHall, Sam Houston Coliseum and Hofheinz Pavilion, the latter eventually being adopted as their home arena until 1975. They also had to play "home" games in other cities such as San Antonio, Waco, Albuquerque, and even San Diego in efforts to extend the fan-base. During their first season, the Rockets averaged less than 5,000 fans per game (roughly half full), and in one game in Waco, there were only 759 fans in attendance.[7]

text: Their first permanent arena in Houston was the 10,000 seat Hofheinz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Houston, which they moved into starting in their second season. They played in the arena for four years, before occupying The Summit in 1975. The arena, which could hold 16,611 spectators,[143] was their home for the next 28 years. It was renamed the Compaq Center from 1998 to 2003.[7] Following the 1994 title, the Rockets had a sellout streak of 176 consecutive home games, including the playoffs, which lasted until 1999. However, the struggling 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons saw Houston having the worst attendance average in the league, with less than 12,000 spectators each season.[144]

text: For the 2003–04 season, the Rockets moved into their new arena, the Toyota Center, with a seating capacity of 18,500.[95] During the 2007–08 NBA season where the team achieved a 22-game winning streak, the Rockets got their best numbers to date, averaging 17,379 spectators.[145] These were exceeded once James Harden joined the team in 2013. The Rockets averaged 18,123 spectators during the 2013–14 season, selling out 39 out of the 41 home games.[146][147] 2014–15 had even better numbers, with 40 sellouts and an average of 18,230 tickets sold.[148]

text: Team identity[edit]

text: Uniforms and logos[edit]

text: When the Rockets debuted in San Diego, their colors were green and gold. Road uniforms featured the city name, while the home uniforms feature the team name, both in a serifed block lettering. This was the only uniform design the Rockets would use throughout their years in San Diego. The Rockets' first logo featured a rocket streaking with a basketball surrounded by the team name.[9]

text: Upon moving to Houston in 1971, the Rockets replaced green with red.[8] They kept the same design from their San Diego days, save for the change of color and city name. The logo used is of a player with a spinning basketball launching upward, with boosters on his back, leaving a trail of red and gold flames and the words "Houston Rockets" below it.[8]

text: For the 1972–73 season, the Rockets introduced the famous "mustard and ketchup" logo, so dubbed by fans, featuring a gold basketball surrounded by two red trails, with "Houston" atop the first red trail and "Rockets" (all capitalized save for the lowercase 'E' and 'T') in black surrounding the basketball. The initial home uniforms, used until the 1975–76 season, features the city name, numbers and serifed player name in red with gold trim, while the away uniforms feature the city name (all capitalized except for the lower case 'T' and 'N'), numbers and serifed player name in gold with white trim.[8]

text: In the 1976–77 season, the Rockets modified their uniforms, featuring a monotone look on the Cooper Black fonts and white lettering on the road uniforms. On the home shorts, the team logo is located on the right leg, while the away shorts feature the team name wordmark on the same location. With minor modifications in the number font, this version was used in all four of their NBA Finals appearances, including their 1994 and 1995 championships.[8]

text: Following the 1995 title, the Rockets opted to modernize their look. After a fan contest with over 5,000 entries, the team went with the idea of Missouri City artist Thomas Nash of a rocket orbiting a basketball, which was then reworked by Houston designer Chris Hill.[75] Nash would later sue the Rockets for breach of contract, given they were using his idea despite not having paid the contest prizes.[149][150] The NBA suggested that the identity should follow the cartoon-inspired imagery that other teams adopted during the 1990s, leading to a rocket painted with sharkmouth nose art orbiting a basketball. Red was retained, but navy blue and silver became the uniform's primary colors. Both the home white and away navy uniforms featured gradient-fading pinstripes and futuristic number fonts, with side stripes of navy fading to red. This was used until the 2002–03 season.[8][151]

text: The Rockets' current logos and uniforms were introduced in the 2003–04 season,[96] created by New York-based agency Alfafa Studio in association with Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka. The logo is a stylized 'R' in the shape of a rocket during takeoff, surrounded by a red orbit streak that can be interpreted as the central circle of a basketball court. Said "R" inspired the team's new custom typeface, designed so that every single digit could be read well from a distance, whether in the arena or on television. Red once again became the dominant color, with silver and black as secondary.[152][153] In 2009, the Rockets invoked the championship years with an alternate red uniform, featuring gold numbers and side stripes.[154][155] The Rockets had two sleeved alternate jerseys for the 2015–16 season, an alternate silver-colored uniform whose design referenced the design of NASA's Gemini-Titan rocket, and a red and gold jersey featuring the nickname "Clutch City".[156] For the 2016–17 season, the Rockets began to wear a black alternate uniform.

text: Mascots[edit]

text: The mascot of the Houston Rockets in the 1980s was called Booster. From 1993 to 1995, the mascot was Turbo, a costumed man that performed acrobatic dunks and other maneuvers.[157] In 1995, the Rockets debuted Clutch the Bear as a second mascot, a large teddy bear-like mascot that performs a variety of acts during the games. After eight years of serving as dual mascots, the performer playing Turbo retired, making Clutch the sole mascot for the team.[158]

text: Rivalries[edit]

text: The Rockets have developed many rivalries within the Western Conference ever since the team returned there in 1980. Two are intrastate rivalries, with the San Antonio Spurs, who moved along with the Rockets after four years with them in the Eastern Conference,[159] and the Dallas Mavericks, introduced that very season.[160] Houston faced both Texas teams in playoffs since 1980, beating the Spurs three times and losing once. The Rockets lost twice to the Mavericks, while beating them once.[161] Other famed rivalries were with the Los Angeles Lakers, who in the 1980s Showtime era only missed the NBA Finals when beaten by the Rockets,[162] and the Utah Jazz, who the Rockets beat in both championship seasons but were defeated by Utah in five other occasions.[163]

text: Honors and statistics[edit]

text: Individual honors[edit]

text:
NBA Most Valuable Player Award

Moses Malone – 1979, 1982[164]
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1994[165]

NBA Finals MVP

Hakeem Olajuwon – 1994, 1995[165]

NBA Scoring Champions

Elvin Hayes – 1969[166]

NBA Defensive Player of the Year[167]

Hakeem Olajuwon – 1993, 1994

NBA Rookie of the Year[167]

Ralph Sampson – 1984
Steve Francis – 2000

NBA Sixth Man of the Year[167]

Eric Gordon – 2017

NBA Most Improved Player[167]

Aaron Brooks – 2010

NBA Coach of the Year[167]

Tom Nissalke – 1977
Don Chaney – 1991
Mike D'Antoni – 2017

NBA Executive of the Year

Ray Patterson – 1977[168]

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

Calvin Murphy – 1979[169]
Dikembe Mutombo – 2009[170]

NBA All-Defensive First Team[167]

Hakeem Olajuwon – 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994
Rodney McCray – 1988
Scottie Pippen – 1999
Patrick Beverley – 2017

NBA All-Defensive Second Team[167]

Moses Malone – 1979
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1985, 1991, 1996, 1997
Rodney McCray – 1987
Shane Battier – 2008, 2009
Ron Artest – 2009
Patrick Beverley – 2014[171]

NBA All-Rookie First Team[167]

Elvin Hayes – 1969
Calvin Murphy – 1971
Joe Meriweather – 1976
John Lucas – 1977
Ralph Sampson – 1984
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1985
Steve Francis – 2000
Yao Ming – 2003
Luis Scola – 2008

NBA All-Rookie Second Team[167]

Robert Horry – 1993
Matt Maloney – 1997
Cuttino Mobley – 1999
Michael Dickerson – 1999
Eddie Griffin – 2002
Luther Head – 2006
Carl Landry – 2008
Chandler Parsons – 2012

All-NBA First Team[167]

Moses Malone – 1979, 1982
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1997
James Harden – 2014, 2015, 2017

All-NBA Second Team[167]

Moses Malone – 1980, 1981
Ralph Sampson – 1985
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1986, 1990, 1996
Yao Ming – 2007, 2009
Tracy McGrady – 2007
Dwight Howard – 2014[172]

All-NBA Third Team[167]

Hakeem Olajuwon – 1991, 1995, 1999
Clyde Drexler – 1995
Yao Ming – 2004, 2006, 2008
Tracy McGrady – 2005, 2008
James Harden – 2013

All-Star[173]

Don Kojis – 1968, 1969
Elvin Hayes – 1969–1972
Jack Marin – 1973
Rudy Tomjanovich – 1974–1977, 1979
Moses Malone – 1978–1982
Calvin Murphy – 1979
Ralph Sampson – 1984–1987
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1985–1990, 1992–1997
Otis Thorpe – 1992
Charles Barkley – 1997
Clyde Drexler – 1996, 1997
Steve Francis – 2002–2004
Tracy McGrady – 2005–2007
Yao Ming – 2003–2009, 2011
James Harden – 2013–2018
Dwight Howard – 2014

All-Star head coach[173]

Rudy Tomjanovich – 1997
Mike D'Antoni – 2018

All-Star Game MVP[167]

Ralph Sampson – 1985 [46]

text: Statistics and records[edit]

text: Franchise leaders[edit]

text: Bold denotes still active with team. Italics denotes still active but not with team.

text: Points scored (regular season) (as of the end of the 2016–17 season)[174]

text:
1. Hakeem Olajuwon (26,511)
2. Calvin Murphy (17,949)
3. Rudy Tomjanovich (13,383)
4. Elvin Hayes (11,762)
5. Moses Malone (11,119)
6. James Harden (10,823)

tag: ul

text:
7. Yao Ming (9,247)
8. Robert Reid (8,823)
9. Mike Newlin (8,480)
10. Otis Thorpe (8,177)
11. Cuttino Mobley (7,448)
12. Steve Francis (7,281)

text:
13. Tracy McGrady (6,888)
14. Allen Leavell (6,684)
15. Vernon Maxwell (6,002)
16. Ralph Sampson (5,995)
17. Kenny Smith (5,910)
18. Luis Scola (5,597)

text:
19. Rodney McCray (5,059)
20. Sleepy Floyd (5,030)
21. Stu Lantz (4,947)
22. Lewis Lloyd (4,384)
23. Clyde Drexler (4,155)
24. Buck Johnson (4,139)

text:
25. John Block (4,138)
26. Trevor Ariza (4,078)
27. Don Kojis (4,037)
28. John Lucas II (3,756)
29. Kevin Kunnert (3,550)
30. Aaron Brooks (3,465)

text: Other Statistics (regular season) (as of the end of the 2016–17 season)[174]

text:
1. Hakeem Olajuwon (42,844)
2. Calvin Murphy (30,607)
3. Rudy Tomjanovich (25,714)
4. Robert Reid (21,718)
5. Elvin Hayes (20,782)

text:
1. Hakeem Olajuwon (13,382)
2. Elvin Hayes (6,974)
3. Moses Malone (6,959)
4. Rudy Tomjanovich (6,198)
5. Otis Thorpe (5,010)

text:
1. Calvin Murphy (4,402)
2. Allen Leavell (3,339)
3. Hakeem Olajuwon (2,992)
4. James Harden (2,984)
5. Mike Newlin (2,581)

text:
1. Hakeem Olajuwon (2,088)
2. Calvin Murphy (1,165)
3. Allen Leavell (929)
4. Robert Reid (881)
5. James Harden (670)

text:
1. Hakeem Olajuwon (3,740)
2. Yao Ming (920)
3. Moses Malone (758)
4. Ralph Sampson (585)
5. Kelvin Cato (431)

text: Players[edit]

text: Current roster[edit]

text:
Houston Rockets roster

v
t
e

Players
Coaches

Pos.
No.
Name
Height
Weight
DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)
From

4.0 !F
7001330000000000000♠33
Anderson, Ryan
7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
1988–05–06
UC Berkeley

2.5 !G/F
7000100000000000000♠1
Ariza, Trevor
7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1985–06–30
UCLA

5.5 !F/C
7001280000000000000♠28
Black, Tarik
7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
1991–11–22
Kansas

1.5 !G
7001260000000000000♠26
Brown, Markel (TW)
7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1992–01–29
Oklahoma State

6.0 !C
7001150000000000000♠15
Capela, Clint
7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
1994–05–18
INSEP (FRA)

1.5 !G
7001100000000000000♠10
Gordon, Eric
7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1988–12–25
Indiana

2.5 !G/F
7001140000000000000♠14
Green, Gerald
7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1986–01–26
Gulf Shores Academy (TX)

1.5 !G
7001130000000000000♠13
Harden, James (C)
7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1989–08–26
Arizona State

1.5 !G
7000200000000000000♠2
Hunter, R. J. (TW)
7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1993–10–24
Georgia State

2.5 !G/F
7000700000000000000♠7
Johnson, Joe
7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
1981–06–29
Arkansas

4.0 !F
7001120000000000000♠12
Mbah a Moute, Luc
7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1986–09–09
UCLA

5.5 !F/C
7001420000000000000♠42
Nenê
7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
1982–09–13
Brazil

6.0 !C
7001210000000000000♠21
Onuaku, Chinanu
7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
1996–11–01
Louisville

1.5 !G
7000300000000000000♠3
Paul, Chris
7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1985–05–06
Wake Forest

4.0 !F
7000400000000000000♠4
Tucker, P. J.
7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
1985–05–05
Texas

5.5 !F/C
7001320000000000000♠32
Wright, Brandan
7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
1987–10–05
North Carolina

5.5 !F/C
7000900000000000000♠9
Zhou Qi (GL)
7000215899999999999♠7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1996–01–16
China

Head coach

Mike D'Antoni

Assistant coach(es)

Jeff Bzdelik
Brett Gunning
Roy Rogers
John Lucas (player development)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
(GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
(TW) Two-way affiliate player
 Injured

Roster • Transactions
Last transaction: 2018–02-12

text: Retained draft rights[edit]

text: The Rockets hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[175] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

text:
Draft
Round
Pick
Player
Pos.
Nationality
Current team
Note(s)
Ref

2014
2
53
Gentile, AlessandroAlessandro Gentile
G/F
 Italy
Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna (Italy)
Acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves
[176]

2013
2
45
Todorović, MarkoMarko Todorović
F/C
 Montenegro
Khimki (Russia)
Acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers
[177]

2011
2
51
Diebler, JonJon Diebler
G
 United States
Beşiktaş (Turkey)
Acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers
[178]

2009
2
34
Llull, SergioSergio Llull
G
 Spain
Real Madrid (Spain)
Acquired from the Denver Nuggets
[179]

2005
2
52
Hervelle, AxelAxel Hervelle
F
 Belgium
Bilbao Basket (Spain)
Acquired from the Denver Nuggets
[180]

2004
2
49
Lishchuk, SerhiySerhiy Lishchuk
F/C
 Ukraine
Free agent
Acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies (via Los Angeles Clippers, Houston, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia)
[181]

text: Retired numbers[edit]

text:
[182]

Yao
Ming
C

Retired February 3, 2017

Clyde
Drexler
G

Retired February 3, 2000

Calvin
Murphy
G

Retired March 17, 1984

Moses
Malone
C

Retired April 19, 1998

Hakeem
Olajuwon
C

Retired November 9, 2002

Rudy
Tomjanovich1
F

Retired January 28, 1982

Carroll
Dawson2
Assistant coach
GM
Honored April 16, 2007

text:
1 Also served as head coach from 1991 to 2003.
2 As Dawson did not play for the Rockets, the team used his initials.[183]

text: Basketball Hall of Famers[edit]

text:
Houston Rockets Hall of Famers[184][185]

Players

No.
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

2
4
Rick Barry
F
1978–1980
1987

11
44
Elvin Hayes
C/F
1968–1972
1981–1984
1990

23
Calvin Murphy
G
1970–1983
1993

24
Moses Malone
C/F
1976–1982
2001

22
Clyde Drexler 1
G/F
1995–1998
2004

4
Charles Barkley 1
F
1996–2000
2006

34
Hakeem Olajuwon
C
1984–2001
2008

33
Scottie Pippen 1
F
1998–1999
2010

50
Ralph Sampson
C/F
1983–1987
2012

55
Dikembe Mutombo
C
2004–2009
2015

11
Yao Ming
C
2002–2011
2016

1
3
Tracy McGrady
G/F
2004–2010
2017

Coaches

Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

Alex Hannum
Head coach
1969–1971
1998

Tex Winter
Head coach
1971–1973
2011

text: Notes:

text: 1 All three players were also inducted to the Hall of Fame as members of the 1992 Olympic team.

text: FIBA Hall of Famers[edit]

text:
Houston Rockets Hall of Famers

Players

No.
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

34
Hakeem Olajuwon
C
1984–2001
2016

text: Management[edit]

text: General managers[edit]

text:
GM history

GM
Tenure

Jack McMahon[186]
Mar 1967 – June 1968

Pete Newell[186]
June 1968 – May 1972

Ray Patterson[187]
May 1972 – September 1989

Steve Patterson[188]
September 1989 – August 1993

Tod Leiweke[189]
August 1993–January 1994

Bob Weinhauer[190]
January 1994 – May 1996

Carroll Dawson[191]
May 1996 – May 2007

Daryl Morey[192]
May 2007–present

text: Owners[edit]

text:
Ownership history

Owner
Tenure

Robert Breitbard[193]
January 1967 – June 1971

Billy Goldberg, Wayne Duddlesten, Mickey Herskowitz[193]
June 1971 – December 1973

Irvin Kaplan[193]
December 1973 – February 1975

James Talcott Incorporated[187]
February 1975 – February 1976

Kenneth Schnitzer[187]
February 1976 – May 1979

George J. Maloof, Sr.[187]
May 1979 – November 1980

Gavin Maloof[187]
November 1980 – June 1982

Charlie Thomas, J. Evans Attwell[64]
June 1982 – July 1993

Leslie Alexander[64]
July 1993 – October 2017

Tilman Fertitta[194]
October 2017 – present

text: Coaches[edit]

text:
Coach
Tenure

Jack McMahon
1968–1970

Alex Hannum
1970–1971

text:
Coach
Tenure

Tex Winter
1971–1973

Johnny Egan
1973–1976

Tom Nissalke
1976–1979

Del Harris
1979–1983

Bill Fitch
1983–1988

Don Chaney
1988–1992

Rudy Tomjanovich
1992–2003

Jeff Van Gundy
2003–2007

Rick Adelman
2007–2011

Kevin McHale
2011–2015

J. B. Bickerstaff (interim)
2015–2016

Mike D'Antoni
2016–present


document_title: Ohio River

question_text: how did the us get the ohio river valley

text: Ohio River

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
The Allegheny River, left, and Monongahela River join to form the Ohio River at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the largest metropolitan area on the river.

Built between 1849 and 1851, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge was the first bridge across the river.

Louisville, Kentucky, The deepest point of the Ohio River is a scour hole just below Cannelton locks and dam (river mile 720.7). The widest point of the river is at the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers.

A barge hauls coal in the Louisville and Portland Canal, the only artificial portion of the Ohio River.

The Tall Stacks festival celebrates the riverboats of Cincinnati, Ohio, every three or four years.

text: Etymology[edit]

text: The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca language, Ohi:yo' (roughly pronounced oh-hee-yoh, with the vowel in "hee" held longer), a proper name derived from ohiːyoːh ("good river"), therefore literally translating to "Good River".[5]

text: Other sources claim that the commonly-cited meanings "good river" or "beautiful river" represent false etymology. They hold that ohi:yo' should be analyzed as o- (a pronoun prefix meaning "it", with the implication that whatever follows is considered a permanent condition of the item) + hih ("to spill") + gihedenyo ("creek" or "stream"); thus the rough translation should be "continuously-spilling creek" or "continuously-giving creek", with the word for "creek" used instead of the word for "river" because the Ohio River flows into a larger river, the Mississippi.[7][original research?]

text: Native Americans, including the Lenni Lenape and Iroquois, considered the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River also as Ohi:yo';[8] the Geographic Names Information System lists O-hee-yo and O-hi-o as variant names for the Allegheny.[9]

text: An earlier Miami-Illinois language name was also applied to the Ohio River, Mosopeleacipi ("river of the Mosopelea" tribe). Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi, spelewathiipi or peleewa thiipiiki, the name eventually evolved to "Pelisipi" or "Pellissippi". Originally applied just to the Ohio River, the "Pelisipi" name later was variously swapped back and forth with the Clinch River.[10][11]

text: Geography and hydrography[edit]

text: The Ohio River  is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From there, it flows northwest through Allegheny and Beaver counties, before making an abrupt turn to the south-southwest at the West Virginia–Ohio–Pennsylvania triple-state line (near East Liverpool, Ohio; Chester, West Virginia; and Midland, Pennsylvania). From there, it forms the border between West Virginia and Ohio, upstream of Wheeling, West Virginia.

text: The river then follows a roughly southwest and then west-northwest course until Cincinnati, before bending to a west-southwest course for most of its length. The course forms the northern borders of West Virginia and Kentucky; and the southern borders of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, until it joins the Mississippi River near the city of Cairo, Illinois.

text: Major tributaries of the river, indicated by the location of the mouths, include:

text:
Allegheny River – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Monongahela River – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Saw Mill Run – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Chartiers Creek – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Montour Run – Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Beaver River – Rochester, Pennsylvania
Breezewood Creek – Beaver, Pennsylvania
Raccoon Creek – Center Township
Little Beaver Creek – East Liverpool, Ohio
Wheeling Creek – Wheeling, West Virginia
Middle Island Creek – St. Marys, West Virginia
Little Muskingum River – Ohio
Duck Creek – Marietta, Ohio
Muskingum River – Marietta, Ohio
Little Kanawha River – Parkersburg, West Virginia
Hocking River – Hockingport, Ohio
Kanawha River – Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Guyandotte River – Huntington, West Virginia
Big Sandy River – Kentucky-West Virginia border
Little Sandy River – Greenup, Kentucky
Little Scioto River – Sciotoville, Ohio
Scioto River – Portsmouth, Ohio
Kinniconick Creek – Vanceburg, Kentucky
Little Miami River – Cincinnati, Ohio
Licking River – Newport-Covington, Kentucky
Mill Creek – Cincinnati, Ohio
Great Miami River – Ohio-Indiana border
Kentucky River – Carrollton, Kentucky
Salt River – West Point, Kentucky
Green River – near Henderson, Kentucky
Wabash River – Indiana-Illinois-Kentucky border
Saline River – Illinois
Cumberland River – Smithland, Kentucky
Tennessee River – Paducah, Kentucky
Cache River – Illinois

text: Drainage basin[edit]

text: The Ohio's drainage basin covers 189,422 square miles (490,600 km2), encompassing the easternmost regions of the Mississippi Basin. The Ohio drains parts of 15 states in four regions.

text:
Northeast
New York: a small area of the southern border along the headwaters of the Allegheny.
Pennsylvania: a corridor from the southwestern corner to north central border.
Mid-Atlantic/Upper South
Maryland: a small corridor along the Youghiogheny River on the western border.
West Virginia: all but the Eastern Panhandle.
Kentucky: all but a small part in the extreme west drained directly by the Mississippi.
Tennessee: all but a small part in the extreme west drained directly by the Mississippi, and a very small area in the southeastern corner which is drained by the Conasauga River.
Virginia: most of southwest Virginia.
North Carolina: the western quarter.
Midwest
Ohio: the southern two-thirds
Indiana: all but the northern area.
Illinois: the southeast quarter.
Deep South
Georgia: the far northwest corner.
Alabama: the northern portion.
Mississippi: the northeast corner.
South Carolina: less than 1 square mile in the northwest.

text: Geology[edit]

text: From a geological standpoint, the Ohio River is young. The river formed on a piecemeal basis beginning between 2.5 and 3 million years ago. The earliest ice ages occurred at this time and dammed portions of north-flowing rivers. The Teays River was the largest of these rivers. The modern Ohio River flows within segments of the ancient Teays. The ancient rivers were rearranged or consumed by glaciers and lakes.

text: Upper Ohio River[edit]

text: The upper Ohio River formed when one of the glacial lakes overflowed into a south-flowing tributary of the Teays River. Prior to that event, the north-flowing Steubenville River (no longer in existence) ended between New Martinsville and Paden City, West Virginia. Likewise, the south-flowing Marietta River (no longer in existence) ended between the present-day cities. The overflowing lake carved through the separating hill and connected the rivers.

text: The resulting floodwaters enlarged the small Marietta valley to a size more typical of a large river. The new large river subsequently drained glacial lakes and melting glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. The valley grew during and following the ice age.

text: Many small rivers were altered or abandoned after the upper Ohio River formed. Valleys of some abandoned rivers can still be seen on satellite and aerial images of the hills of Ohio and West Virginia between Marietta, Ohio, and Huntington, West Virginia. As testimony to the major changes that occurred, such valleys are found on hilltops.[clarification needed]

text: Middle Ohio River[edit]

text: The middle Ohio River formed in a manner similar to formation of the upper Ohio River. A north-flowing river was temporarily dammed southwest of present-day Louisville, creating a large lake until the dam burst. A new route was carved to the Mississippi. Eventually the upper and middle sections combined to form what is essentially the modern Ohio River.

text: History[edit]

text: Pre-Columbian inhabitants of eastern North America considered the Ohio part of a single river continuing on through the lower Mississippi. The combined Allegheny-Ohio river is 1,310 miles (2,110 km) long and carries the largest volume of water of any tributary of the Mississippi. The Indians and early explorers and settlers of the region also often considered the Allegheny to be part of the Ohio. The forks (the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Pittsburgh) was considered a strategic military location.

text: French fur traders operated in the area, and France built forts along the Allegheny River. In 1669, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, led an expedition of French traders who became the first Europeans to see the river. He traveled from Canada and entered the headwaters of the Ohio, traveling as far as the Falls of Ohio at present-day Louisville before turning back. He returned to explore the river again in other expeditions. An Italian cartographer traveling with him created the first map of the Ohio River. La Salle claimed the Ohio Valley for France.

text: In 1749, Great Britain established the Ohio Company to settle and trade in the area. Exploration of the territory and trade with the Indians in the region near the Forks by British colonials from Pennsylvania and Virginia – both of which claimed the territory – led to conflict with the French. In 1763, following the Seven Years' War, France ceded the area to Britain.[12]

text: The 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix opened Kentucky to colonial settlement and established the Ohio River as a southern boundary for American Indian territory.[13] In 1774, the Quebec Act restored the land east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River to Quebec, in effect making the Ohio the southern boundary of Canada. This appeased the Canadien British subjects but angered the Thirteen Colonies. Lord Dunmore's War south of the Ohio river also contributed to giving the land north to Quebec to stop further encroachment of the British colonials on native land. During the American Revolution, in 1776 the British military engineer John Montrésor created a map of the river showing the strategic location of Fort Pitt, including specific navigational information about the Ohio River's rapids and tributaries in that area.[14] However, the Treaty of Paris (1783) gave the entire Ohio Valley to the United States.

text: The economic connection of the Ohio Country to the East was significantly increased in 1818 when the National Road being built westward from Cumberland, Maryland reached Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), providing an easier overland connection from the Potomac River to the Ohio River.[15]

text: Louisville was founded at the only major natural navigational barrier on the river, the Falls of the Ohio. The Falls were a series of rapids where the river dropped 26 feet (7.9 m) in a stretch of about 2 miles (3.2 km). In this area, the river flowed over hard, fossil-rich beds of limestone. The first locks on the river – the Louisville and Portland Canal – were built to circumnavigate the falls between 1825 and 1830. Fears that Louisville's transshipment industry would collapse proved ill-founded: the increasing size of steamships and barges on the river meant that the outdated locks could only service the smallest vessels until well after the Civil War. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improvements were expanded again in the 1960s, forming the present-day McAlpine Locks and Dam.

text: Because the Ohio River flowed westward, it became a convenient means of westward movement by pioneers traveling from western Pennsylvania. After reaching the mouth of the Ohio, settlers would travel north on the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri. There, some continued on up the Missouri River, some up the Mississippi, and some further west over land routes. In the early 19th century, river pirates such as Samuel Mason, operating out of Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, waylaid travelers on their way down the river. They killed travelers, stealing their goods and scuttling their boats. The folktales about Mike Fink recall the keelboats used for commerce in the early days of European settlement. The Ohio River boatmen were the inspiration for performer Dan Emmett, who in 1843 wrote the song "The Boatman's Dance".

text: Trading boats and ships traveled south on the Mississippi to New Orleans, and sometimes beyond to the Gulf of Mexico and other ports in the Americas and Europe. This provided a much-needed export route for goods from the west, since the trek east over the Appalachian Mountains was long and arduous. The need for access to the port of New Orleans by settlers in the Ohio Valley led to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

text: Because the river is the southern border of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, it was part of the border between free states and slave states in the years before the American Civil War. The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of Upper South slaves, especially from Kentucky, who were shipped via the Ohio and Mississippi to cotton and sugar plantations in the Deep South.[16][17]  Before and during the Civil War, the Ohio River was called the "River Jordan" by slaves crossing it to escape to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad.[18] More escaping slaves, estimated in the thousands, made their perilous journey north to freedom across the Ohio River than anywhere else across the north-south frontier. Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, the bestselling novel that fueled abolitionist work, was the best known of the anti-slavery novels that portrayed such escapes across the Ohio. The times have been expressed by 20th-century novelists as well, such as the Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, whose novel Beloved was adapted as a film of the same name. She also composed the libretto for the opera Margaret Garner (2005), based on the life and trial of an enslaved woman who escaped with her family across the river.

text: The Ohio River is considered to separate Midwestern Great Lakes states from the Upper South states, which were historically border states in the Civil War.

text: The colonial charter for Virginia defined its territory as extending to the north shore of the Ohio, so that the riverbed was "owned" by Virginia. Where the river serves as a boundary between states today, Congress designated the entire river to belong to the states on the east and south, i.e., West Virginia and Kentucky at the time of admission to the Union, that were divided from Virginia. Thus Wheeling Island, the largest inhabited island in the Ohio River, belongs to West Virginia, although it is closer to the Ohio shore than to the West Virginia shore. Kentucky brought suit against Indiana in the early 1980s because of the building of the Marble Hill nuclear power plant in Indiana, which would have discharged its waste water into the river.

text: The U.S. Supreme Court held that Kentucky's jurisdiction (and, implicitly, that of West Virginia) extended only to the low-water mark of 1793 (important because the river has been extensively dammed for navigation, so that the present river bank is north of the old low-water mark.)  Similarly, in the 1990s, Kentucky challenged Illinois' right to collect taxes on a riverboat casino docked in Metropolis, citing its own control of the entire river. A private casino riverboat that docked in Evansville, Indiana, on the Ohio River opened about the same time. Although such boats cruised on the Ohio River in an oval pattern up and down, the state of Kentucky soon protested. Other states had to limit their cruises to going forwards, then reversing and going backwards on the Indiana shore only. Since 2002, Indiana has allowed its riverboat casinos to be permanently docked.

text: In the early 1980s, the Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area was established at Clarksville, Indiana.

text:
The confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers is at Cairo, Illinois.

Carl D. Perkins Bridge in Portsmouth, Ohio with Ohio River and Scioto River tributary on right.

Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant, West Virginia which collapsed into the Ohio River on December 15, 1967, killing 46 persons.

Mouth of the Ohio, as it feeds into the Mississippi.

Cave-in-rock, view on the Ohio (circa 1832, Cave-In-Rock, Illinois): aquatint by Karl Bodmer from the book Maximilian, Prince of Wied's Travels in the Interior of North America, during the years 1832–1834

text: Pollution[edit]

text: The Ohio River as a whole is ranked as the most polluted river in the US based on 2009 and 2010 data although the more industrial and regional Ohio tributary, Monongahela River, ranked behind 16 other American rivers for pollution at number 17.[19]

text: The Ohio River was polluted with hundreds of thousands of pounds of PFOA by DuPont chemical company, from an outflow pipe, for several decades beginning in the 1950s.[20]

text: River depth[edit]

text: The Ohio River is a naturally shallow river that was artificially deepened by a series of dams. The natural depth of the river varied from about 3 to 20 feet (0.91 to 6.10 m). The dams raise the water level and have turned the river largely into a series of reservoirs, eliminating shallow stretches and allowing for commercial navigation. From its origin to Cincinnati, the average depth is approximately 15 feet (5 m). The largest immediate drop in water level is below the McAlpine Locks and Dam at the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, Kentucky, where flood stage is reached when the water reaches 23 feet (7 m) on the lower gauge. However, the river's deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville, Kentucky. From Louisville, the river loses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois, where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m).

text: Water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam upstream to Pittsburgh are predicted daily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ohio River Forecast Center.[21] The water depth predictions are relative to each local flood plain based upon predicted rainfall in the Ohio River basin in five reports as follows:

text:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Hannibal Locks and Dam, Ohio (including the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers)
Willow Island Locks and Dam, Ohio, to Greenup Lock and Dam, Kentucky (including the Kanawha River)
Portsmouth, Ohio, to Markland Locks and Dam, Kentucky
McAlpine Locks and Dam, Kentucky, to Cannelton Locks and Dam, Indiana
Newburgh Lock and Dam, Indiana, to Golconda, Illinois

text: The water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam to Cairo, Illinois, are predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center.[22]

text: Smithland Lock and Dam, Illinois, to Cairo, Illinois

text: Cities and towns along the river[edit]

text:
Metro Area

Population

Pittsburgh

2.4 million

Cincinnati

2.2 million

Louisville

1.0 million

Huntington-Ashland

365,419

Evansville

358,000

Parkersburg

160,000

Wheeling

145,000

Weirton-Steubenville

132,000

Owensboro

112,000

text: Cities along the Ohio River include:

text:
Pittsburgh
Sewickley
McKees Rocks
Coraopolis
South Heights
Ambridge
Aliquippa
Rochester
Monaca
Beaver
Shippingport
Midland
Freedom
Rochester
Conway
Neville Island
Baden
Bellevue
Edgeworth
Leetsdale

text:
East Liverpool
Steubenville
Martins Ferry
Bellaire
Marietta
Belpre
Pomeroy
Gallipolis
Ironton
Sciotoville (Portsmouth)
New Boston
Portsmouth
Manchester
Aberdeen
Ripley
New Richmond
Cincinnati

text:
Chester
Weirton
Wheeling
Moundsville
New Martinsville
Paden City
Sistersville
St. Marys
Parkersburg
Ravenswood
Point Pleasant
Huntington
Kenova

text:
Big Bone
Rabbit Hash
Constance
Hamilton
Petersburg
Belleview
Henderson
Uniontown
Ashland
Vanceburg
Maysville
Augusta
Fort Thomas
Newport
Covington
Ludlow
Louisville
Hawesville
Lewisport
Owensboro
Paducah
Smithland
Warsaw
Ghent
Carrollton
Brandenburg
Bellevue
Dayton
Concord

text:
Lawrenceburg
Aurora
Rising Sun
Vevay
Madison
Jeffersonville
Clarksville
New Albany
Cannelton
Tell City
Troy
Rockport
Newburgh
Evansville
Mount Vernon

text:
Old Shawneetown
Cave-In-Rock
Elizabethtown
Rosiclare
Golconda
Brookport
Metropolis
Mound City
Cairo


document_title: Cruise ship pollution in the United States

question_text: where does sewage go on a cruise ship

question_tokens: where does sewage go on a cruise ship

text: Background[edit]

text: More than 46,000 commercial vessels — tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, barges, and passenger ships — travel the oceans and other waters of the world, carrying cargo and passengers for commerce, transport, and recreation. Their activities are regulated and scrutinized in a number of respects by international protocols and U.S. domestic laws, including those designed to protect against discharges of pollutants that could harm marine resources, other parts of the ambient environment, and human health. However, there are overlaps of some requirements, gaps in other areas, geographic differences in jurisdiction based on differing definitions, and questions about the adequacy of enforcement.

text: Public attention to the environmental impacts of the maritime industry has been especially focused on the cruise industry, in part because its ships are highly visible and in part because of the industry’s desire to promote a positive image. It represents a relatively small fraction of the entire shipping industry worldwide. As of January 2008, passenger ships (which include cruise ships and ferries) composed about 12% of the world shipping fleet.[1] The cruise industry is a significant and growing contributor to the U.S. economy, providing more than $32 billion in total benefits annually and generating more than 330,000 U.S. jobs,[2] but also making the environmental impacts of its activities an issue to many. Since 1980, the average annual growth rate in the number of cruise passengers worldwide has been 8.4%, and in 2005, cruises hosted an estimated 11.5 million passengers. Cruises are especially popular in the United States. In 2005, U.S. ports handled 8.6 million cruise embarcations (75% of global passengers), 6.3% more than in 2004. The worldwide cruise ship fleet consists of more than 230 ships, and the majority are foreign-flagged, with Liberia and Panama being the most popular flag countries.[3] Foreign-flag cruise vessels owned by six companies account for nearly 95% of passenger ships operating in U.S. waters. Each year, the industry adds new ships to the total fleet, vessels that are bigger, more elaborate and luxurious, and that carry larger numbers of passengers and crew. Over the past two decades, the average ship size has been increasing at the rate of roughly 90 feet (27 m) every five years. The average ship entering the market from 2008 to 2011 will be more than 1,050 feet (320 m) long and will weigh more than 130,000 tons.[4]

text: To the cruise ship industry, a key issue is demonstrating to the public that cruising is safe and healthy for passengers and the tourist communities that are visited by their ships. Cruise ships carrying several thousand passengers and crew have been compared to “floating cities,” in part because the volume of wastes produced and requiring disposal is greater than that of many small cities on land. During a typical one-week voyage, a large cruise ship (with 3,000 passengers and crew) is estimated to generate 210,000 US gallons (790,000 L) of sewage; 1 million US gallons (3,800 m3) of graywater (wastewater from sinks, showers, and laundries); more than 130 US gallons (490 L) of hazardous wastes; 8 tons of solid waste; and 25,000 US gallons (95 m3) of oily bilge water.[5] Passengers can,singlehandedl, produce up to 7.7 pounds of waste in a single day aboard a cruise ship.[6] Those wastes, if not properly treated and disposed of, can pose risks to human health, welfare, and the environment. Environmental advocates have raised concerns about the adequacy of existing laws for managing these wastes, and suggest that enforcement of existing laws is weak.

text: A 2000 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report focused attention on problems of cruise vessel compliance with environmental requirements.[7] GAO found that between 1993 and 1998, foreign-flag cruise ships were involved in 87 confirmed illegal discharge cases in U.S. waters. A few of the cases included multiple illegal discharge incidents occurring over the six-year period. GAO reviewed three major waste streams (solids, hazardous chemicals, and oily bilge water) and concluded that 83% of the cases involved discharges of oil or oil-based products, the volumes of which ranged from a few drops to hundreds of gallons. The balance of the cases involved discharges of plastic or garbage. GAO judged that 72% of the illegal discharges were accidental, 15% were intentional, and 13% could not be determined. The 87 cruise ship cases represented 4% of the 2,400 illegal discharge cases by foreign-flag ships (including tankers, cargo ships and other commercial vessels, as well as cruise ships) confirmed during the six years studied by GAO. Although cruise ships operating in U.S. waters have been involved in a relatively small number of pollution cases, GAO said, several have been widely publicized and have led to criminal prosecutions and multimillion-dollar fines.

text: In 2000, a coalition of 53 environmental advocacy groups petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take regulatory action to address pollution by cruise ships.[8] The petition called for an investigation of wastewater, oil, and solid waste discharges from cruise ships. In response, EPA agreed to study cruise ship discharges and waste management approaches. As part of that effort, EPA issued a background document in 2000 with preliminary information and recommendations for further assessment through data collection and public information hearings.[3] The agency released its final Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report in 2009. The report summarized findings of recent data collection activities, especially from cruise ships operating in Alaskan waters.[9]

text: Concurrently, litigation regarding the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program led to a 2008 decision by the Ninth Circuit Court, ruling that EPA could not exclude vessel discharges from NPDES requirements.[10] Subsequently EPA issued an initial Vessel General Permit (VGP) with an effective date of February 6, 2009.[11]

text: Cruise ship waste streams[edit]

text: Cruise ships generate a number of waste streams that can result in discharges to the marine environment, including sewage, graywater, hazardous wastes, oily bilge water, ballast water, and solid waste. They also emit air pollutants to the air and water. These wastes, if not properly treated and disposed of, can be a significant source of pathogens, nutrients, and toxic substances with the potential to threaten human health and damage aquatic life. Cruise ships represent a small — although highly visible — portion of the entire international shipping industry, and the waste streams described here are not unique to cruise ships. However, particular types of wastes, such as sewage, graywater, and solid waste, may be of greater concern for cruise ships relative to other seagoing vessels, because of the large numbers of passengers and crew that cruise ships carry and the large volumes of wastes that they produce. Further, because cruise ships tend to concentrate their activities in specific coastal areas and visit the same ports repeatedly (especially Florida, California, New York City, Galveston, Seattle, and the waters of Alaska), their cumulative impact on a local scale could be significant, as can impacts of individual large-volume releases (either accidental or intentional).

text: International laws and regulations[edit]

text: MARPOL 73/78 is one of the most important treaties regulating pollution from ships. Six Annexes of the Convention cover the various sources of pollution from ships and provide an overarching framework for international objectives. In the U.S., the Convention is implemented through the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. Under the provisions of the Convention, the United States can take direct enforcement action under U.S. laws against foreign-flagged ships when pollution discharge incidents occur within U.S. jurisdiction. When incidents occur outside U.S. jurisdiction or jurisdiction cannot be determined, the United States refers cases to flag states, in accordance with MARPOL. These procedures require substantial coordination between the Coast Guard, the State Department, and other flag states, and the response rate from flag states has been poor.[7]

text: Federal laws and regulations[edit]

text: In the United States, several federal agencies have some jurisdiction over cruise ships in U.S. waters, but no one agency is responsible for or coordinates all of the relevant government functions. The U.S. Coast Guard and EPA have principal regulatory and standard-setting responsibilities.

text: Cruise ships that are 79 feet (24 m) in length or greater, are subject to the requirements of the EPA Vessel General Permit (VGP). The most recent VGP was published in 2013.[12] EPA issued a separate permit for smaller cruise ships,[13][14] however this permit currently only applies to ballast water. A Congressionally-imposed moratorium applies to other wastestreams for these vessels until December 18, 2017.[15]

text: The Department of Justice prosecutes violations of federal laws. In addition, the Department of State represents the United States at meetings of the IMO and in international treaty negotiations and is responsible for pursuing foreign-flag violations. Other federal agencies have limited roles and responsibilities. For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, Department of Commerce) works with the Coast Guard and EPA to report on the effects of marine debris. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for ensuring quarantine inspection and disposal of food-contaminated garbage (these APHIS responsibilities are part of the Department of Homeland Security). In some cases, states and localities have responsibilities as well.

text: Sewage[edit]

text: Commercial vessels are required to obtain NPDES permits pursuant to Section 402 of the Clean Water Act. Section 312 of the Act prohibits the dumping of untreated or inadequately treated sewage from vessels into the navigable waters of the United States (defined in the act as within 3 miles (4.8 km) of shore). Cruise ships are subject to this prohibition. Commercial and recreational vessels with installed toilets are required to have marine sanitation devices, which are designed to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage. Beyond 3 miles (4.8 km), raw sewage can be discharged. On some cruise ships, especially many of those that travel in Alaskan waters, sewage is treated using Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) systems that generally provide improved screening, treatment, disinfection, and sludge processing as compared with traditional MSDs. AWTs are believed to be very effective in removing pathogens, oxygen-demanding substances, suspended solids, oil and grease, and particulate metals from sewage, but only moderately effective in removing dissolved metals and nutrients (ammonia, nitrogen and phosphorus).

text: States may also establish no-discharge zones (NDZs) for vessel sewage, under section 312. A state may completely prohibit the discharge of both treated and untreated sewage from all vessels with installed toilets into some or all waters over which it has jurisdiction (up to 3 miles (4.8 km) from land). As of 2017, this designation has been used for 72 areas representing part or all of the waters of 26 states, including a number of inland states.[16]

text: Greywater[edit]

text: Graywater discharges from large cruise ships are regulated by the 2013 VGP.[12] Graywater discharges from small cruise ships are currently exempt from the EPA Small Vessel General Permit ("sVGP"), due to the Congressional moratorium.[15]

text: Pursuant to a state law in Alaska, greywater must be treated prior to discharge into that state’s waters.[citation needed]

text: Solid waste[edit]

text: Cruise ship discharges of solid waste are governed by two laws. Title I of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act makes it illegal to transport garbage from the United States for the purpose of dumping it into ocean waters without a permit or to dump material from outside the U.S. into U.S. waters. Beyond U.S. waters, no MPRSA permit is required for a cruise ship to discharge solid waste. The routine discharge of effluent incidental to the propulsion of vessels is explicitly exempted from the definition of dumping in the MPRSA.28

text: The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships prohibits the discharge of all garbage within 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) of shore, certain types of garbage within 12 nautical miles (22 km) offshore, and plastic anywhere. It applies to all vessels operating in U.S. navigable waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

text: Hazardous waste[edit]

text: The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the primary federal law that governs hazardous waste management. The owner or operator of a cruise ship may be a generator and/or a transporter of hazardous waste, and thus subject to RCRA rules. Issues that the cruise ship industry may face relating to RCRA include ensuring that hazardous waste is identified at the point at which it is considered generated; ensuring that parties are properly identified as generators, storers, treaters, or disposers; and determining the applicability of RCRA requirements to each. Hazardous waste generated onboard cruise ships are stored onboard until the wastes can be offloaded for recycling or disposal in accordance with RCRA.[citation needed]

text: A range of activities on board cruise ships generate hazardous wastes and toxic substances that would ordinarily be presumed to be subject to RCRA. Cruise ships are potentially subject to RCRA requirements to the extent that chemicals used for operations such as ship maintenance and passenger services result in the generation of hazardous wastes. However, it is not entirely clear what regulations apply to the management and disposal of these wastes.[citation needed] RCRA rules that cover small-quantity generators (those that generate more than 100 kilograms but less than 1,000 kilograms of hazardous waste per month) are less stringent than those for large-quantity generators (generating more than 1,000 kilograms per month), and it is unclear whether cruise ships are classified as large or small generators of hazardous waste. Moreover, some cruise companies argue that they generate less than 100 kilograms per month and therefore should be classified in a third category, as “conditionally exempt small-quantity generators,” a categorization that allows for less rigorous requirements for notification, recordkeeping, and the like.[citation needed]

text: In addition to RCRA, hazardous waste discharges from cruise ships are subject to Section 311 of the Clean Water Act, which prohibits the discharge of hazardous substances in harmful quantities into or upon the navigable waters of the United States, adjoining shorelines, or into or upon the waters of the contiguous zone.

text: Bilge water[edit]

text: Section 311 of the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, applies to cruise ships and prohibits discharge of oil or hazardous substances in harmful quantities into or upon U.S. navigable waters, or into or upon the waters of the contiguous zone, or which may affect natural resources in the U.S. EEZ (extending 200 miles (320 km) offshore).[17] Coast Guard regulations prohibit discharge of oil within 12 miles (19 km) from shore, unless passed through a 15-ppm oil water separator, and unless the discharge does not cause a visible sheen.[18] Beyond 12 miles (19 km), oil or oily mixtures can be discharged while a vessel is proceeding en route and if the oil content without dilution is less than 100 ppm. Vessels are required to maintain an Oil Record Book to record disposal of oily residues and discharges overboard or disposal of bilge water.

text: In addition to Section 311 requirements, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) implements MARPOL Annex I concerning oil pollution. APPS applies to all U.S. flagged ships anywhere in the world and to all foreign flagged vessels operating in the navigable waters of the United States, or while at a port under U.S. jurisdiction. To implement APPS, the Coast Guard has promulgated regulations prohibiting the discharge of oil or oily mixtures into the sea within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of the nearest land, except under limited conditions. However, because most cruise lines are foreign registered and because APPS only applies to foreign ships within U.S. navigable waters, the APPS regulations have limited applicability to cruise ship operations. In addition, most cruise lines have adopted policies that restrict discharges of machinery space waste within three miles (5 km) from shore.

text: Cruise Ship Efforts to Reduce Pollution[edit]

text: After the intervention of the GAO, or Government Accountability Office, from 2003 to 2008, twelve cruise ship companies who violated pollution regulations implemented new environmental strategies. [19] Several cruise lines within this group and others who have not been found guilty of previous violations have sought to ameliorate their pollution of marine waters. Some of these have reduced their waste production by transferring over from single use plastic packaging to reusable plastic containers for food being prepared on board and cutlery being used on the pool decks. Princess Cruises as well as the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line are two cruise lines that have acknowledged the waste problem, and have adopted reusable items to work towards a resolution.Recycling programs have also been implemented, and, because of the use of compactors on ships, plastics and aluminums are condensed and made easily recyclable upon ships return to port. The United States,alone,gains upward of 18,000 pounds of recycled goods from these practices.[20] Some cruise lines have also taken it upon themselves to reduce air pollution, by using alternative, cleaner energy sources which has positive implications for marine waters as well. Battery power, fuel cells, and liquified natural gas are two such sources that are being explored. [21] Carnival Corporation is one example of a cruise liner that is currently pursuing cleaner energies. The company has agreed to partner with Shell and utilize liquefied natural gas, LNG, to power their next two ships.[22] Liquefied natural gas, although still a fossil fuel, is a much cleaner source of energy than oil and also much less expensive to the benefit of cruise companies.[23] Transitioning away from oil will help cruise liners combat their problems with bilge pollution. Cruise ships efforts to reduce their waste, recycle, and find more renewable energies will help alleviate their current rate of pollution of marine waters.


document_title: The Three Little Pigs

question_text: the author of the three little pigs story

text: The Three Little Pigs

text: Traditional versions[edit]

text: The Three Little Pigs was included in The Nursery Rhymes of England (London and New York, c.1886), by James Halliwell-Phillipps.[1] The story in its arguably best-known form appeared in English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, first published in 1890 and crediting Halliwell as his source.[2] The story begins with the title characters being sent out into the world by their mother, to "seek out their fortune". The first little pig builds a house of straw, but a wolf blows it down and devours him. The second little pig builds a house of sticks, which the wolf also blows down, and the second little pig is also devoured. Each exchange between wolf and pig features ringing proverbial phrases, namely:

text:
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
"not by the hair on my chinny chin chin."
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down."[3]

text: The third little pig builds a house of bricks. The wolf fails to blow down the house. He then attempts to trick the pig out of the house by asking to meet him at various places, but he is outwitted each time. Finally, the wolf resolves to come down the chimney, whereupon the pig catches the wolf in a cauldron of boiling water, slams the lid on, then cooks and eats him. In some versions, the first and second little pigs are not eaten by the wolf after he demolishes their homes, but instead run to their brother's house, and after the wolf goes down the chimney he either dies like in the original, or runs away and never returns to eat the three little pigs, who all survive in either case.

text: The story uses the literary rule of three, expressed in this case as a "contrasting three", as the third pig's brick house turns out to be the only one which is adequate to withstand the wolf.[4] Variations of the tale appeared in Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings in 1881. The story also made an appearance in Nights with Uncle Remus in 1883, both by Joel Chandler Harris, in which the pigs were replaced by Brer Rabbit. Andrew Lang included it in The Green Fairy Book, published in 1892, but did not cite his source. In contrast to Jacobs's version, which left the pigs nameless, Lang's retelling cast the pigs as Browny, Whitey, and Blacky. It also set itself apart by exploring each pig's character and detailing interaction between them. The antagonist of this version is a fox, not a wolf. The pigs' houses are made either of mud, cabbage, or brick. Blacky, the third pig, rescues his brother and sister from the fox's den after the fox has been defeated.

text: Later adaptations[edit]

text: Disney cartoon[edit]

text: The most well-known version of the story is an award-winning 1933 Silly Symphony cartoon, which was produced by Walt Disney. The production cast the title characters as Fifer Pig, Fiddler Pig, and Practical Pig. The first two are depicted as both frivolous and arrogant. The story has been somewhat softened. The first two pigs still get their houses blown down, but escape from the wolf. Also, the wolf is not boiled to death but simply burns his behind and runs away. Three sequels soon followed in 1934, 1936 and 1939 respectively.

text: Fifer Pig, Fiddler Pig, Practical Pig and the Big Bad Wolf appeared in the 2001 series Disney's House of Mouse in many episodes, and again in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. The three pigs can be seen in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as greetable characters.[5]

text: Warner Brothers and MGM versions[edit]

text: In 1942, there was a Merrie Melodies version made that was a serious musical treatment, plus the usual Friz Freleng visual humor. It parodies both the Disney version, and Fantasia itself.

text: Other versions of the tale were also made. One was an MGM Tex Avery cartoon named Blitz Wolf, a 1942 wartime version with the Wolf as a Nazi. Another animated spoof was a 1952 Warner Brothers cartoon called The Turn-Tale Wolf, directed by Robert McKimson. This cartoon tells the story from the wolf's point of view and makes the pigs out to be the villains. Another Warner Brothers spoof was Friz Freleng's The Three Little Bops (1957), which depicts the three little pigs as jazz musicians who refuse to let the wolf join their band.

text: Subsequent retellings[edit]

text: In 1953, Tex Avery did a Droopy cartoon, "The Three Little Pups". In it, the wolf is a Southern-speaking dog catcher (voiced by Daws Butler) trying to catch Droopy and his brothers, Snoopy and Loopy, to put in the dog pound. Though successfully blowing the first two houses down, he meets his match when he fails to blow down Droopy's house of bricks. The dog catcher makes several failed attempts to destroy the house and catch the pups. His last failed attempt ended with him "going to television" where he is playing a cowboy on the TV show the pups were watching.

text: The 1989 parody, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, is presented as a first-person narrative by the wolf, who portrays the entire incident as a misunderstanding; he had gone to the pigs to borrow some sugar, had destroyed their houses in a sneezing fit, ate the first two pigs to not waste food (since they'd died in the house collapse anyway), and was caught attacking the third pig's house after the pig had continually insulted him.[2]

text: The 1992 Green Jellö song, Three Little Pigs (and its claymation music video) sets the story in Los Angeles. The wolf drives a Harley Davidson motorcycle, the first little pig is an aspiring guitarist, the second is a cannabis smoking, dumpster diving evangelist and the third holds a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University. In the end, with all three pigs barricaded in the brick house, the third pig calls 9-1-1. John Rambo is dispatched to the scene, and kills the wolf with a machine gun.

text: The 1993 children's book The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig inverts the cast and makes a few changes to the plot: the wolves build a brick house, then a concrete house, then a steel house, and finally a house of flowers. The pig is unable to blow the houses down, destroying them by other means, but eventually gives up his wicked ways when he smells the scent of the flower house, and becomes friends with the wolves.

text: The three pigs and the wolf appear in the four Shrek films, and the specials Shrek the Halls and Scared Shrekless.

text: In 2003, the Flemish company Studio 100 created a musical called Three Little Pigs (Dutch: De 3 Biggetjes), which follows the three daughters of the pig with the house of stone with new original songs, introducing a completely new story loosely based on the original story. The musical was specially written for the band K3, who play the three little pigs, Pirky, Parky and Porky (Dutch: Knirri, Knarri and Knorri).

text: In 2014, Peter Lund let the three little pigs live together in a village in the musical Grimm with Little Red Riding Hood and other fairy tale characters.

text: In 2015, Saturn Animation Studio, Canada, produced an interactive adaptation of "Three Little Pigs" for all mobile devices.[6]