Statue of Balto in Central Park (New York City)

Balto (c. Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually The City of New York 1919 – 14 March 1933) was a Siberian Husky sled dog (although some sources incorrectly state that he is an Alaskan Malamute) who led his team on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which diphtheria antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska to Nenana, Alaska by Train and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sled dogs, known also as sleightman dogs sledge dogs or sleddogs are types of Dogs that are used to pull a wheel-less vehicle The Alaskan Malamute is a large breed of Domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) originally During the 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the " Great Race of Mercy " 20 mushers and about 150 Sled dogs relayed Diphtheria Diphtheria ( Greek διφθερα ( diphthera)—“pair of leather scrolls" is an upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore An antitoxin is an Antibody with the ability to neutralize a specific Toxin. Nenana (nɛˈnænə is a Home Rule City on the Tanana River in the U Nome is a city located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea A dog sled is a Sled pulled by one or more Sled dogs used to travel over Ice and through Snow. ^{[1] [2] [3]} The run is commemorated by the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, usually just called the " Iditarod " is an annual Sled dog race in Alaska, where mushers Balto was named after the Sámi explorer Samuel Balto. The Sami people are the Indigenous people of northern Europe inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of northern Sweden, Norway Samuel Johannesen Balto (1862-1922 was a Norwegian explorer and adventurer

1925 serum run

In January 1925, doctors realized that a potentially deadly diphtheria epidemic was poised to sweep through Nome's young people. Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Diphtheria ( Greek διφθερα ( diphthera)—“pair of leather scrolls" is an upper respiratory tract illness characterized by sore In Epidemiology, an epidemic (from Greek epi- upon + demos people is a classification of a disease that appears as new cases in a The only serum that could stop the outbreak was in Anchorage, nearly a thousand miles (1,600 km) away. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States To help compare different Orders of magnitude this page lists Lengths starting at 106 m (1 Mm or 1000 km) The only aircraft that could quickly deliver the medicine was taken out of winter storage, but its engine was frozen and would not start; after considering alternatives, officials decided to move the medicine by sled dog. Sled dogs, known also as sleightman dogs sledge dogs or sleddogs are types of Dogs that are used to pull a wheel-less vehicle The serum was transported by train from Anchorage to Nenana, where the first musher embarked as part of a relay aimed at delivering the needed serum to Nome. Nenana (nɛˈnænə is a Home Rule City on the Tanana River in the U Mushing also means playing on a MUSH. Mushing also can be used to describe the kneading behavior of domestic cats More than 20 mushers took part, facing a blizzard with −53 °F temperatures and strong winds. A blizzard is a severe Winter storm condition characterized by low Temperatures strong Winds and heavy blowing Snow Blizzards are formed when Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 News coverage of the race was worldwide.

On February 2, 1925, the Norwegian Gunnar Kaasen drove his team, led by Balto into Nome. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Gunnar Kaasen (1882 &ndash 1960 was a Norwegian musher who delivered a cylinder containing 300000 units of Diphtheria Antitoxin to Nome The longest and most hazardous stretch of the run was actually covered by another Norwegian, Leonhard Seppala and his dog team, led by Togo. Leonhard Seppala ( September 14, 1877 &ndash January 1967 was a Norwegian of Kven descent Togo (October 1913 &ndash December 5, 1929) was the Sled dog who led Leonhard Seppala and his Dog sled team as they covered the longest They came from Nome towards the end of the run and picked up the serum from musher Henry Ivanoff. The serum was later passed to Kaasen.

Kaasen did not consider Balto a particularly good lead dog, but Balto proved himself on the Iditarod trail, saving his team from certain death in the Topkok River. Balto was also able to stay on the trail in near whiteout conditions in which Kaasen admitted he could barely see his hand in front of his face. Whiteout is a Weather condition in which visibility and contrast are severely reduced by Snow and diffuse lighting from overcast Clouds There are three During a blizzard, Kaasen and his team missed the last sled dog team and had to take the medicine twice as far, which was what eventually brought them to fame.

Togo was the star dog for Leonhard Seppala even before the great 1925 Serum Run. Instead of celebrating the triumph together as one huge team, many became jealous of the publicity Balto received, especially from President Coolidge and the press. The elite and Seppala favored Togo, the general public loved the story behind Balto, but they would take a far different path after the celebrations were over. Balto was not welcomed at the ceremony in New York in which Seppala and Togo received awards from the explorer Roald Amundsen.

Balto wasn't destined to be a star in the breeding shed since he was neutered at a young age, hence he was relegated to being neglected on the vaudeville circuit with his team. While visiting Los Angeles, former prize fighter turned businessman George Kimble, from Cleveland was shocked to discover the dogs were unhealthy and badly treated.

Mr. Kimble worked together with the newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer,to bring Balto and his team to Cleveland. On March 19, 1927, Balto and six companions were brought to Cleveland and given a hero's welcome in a triumphant parade. The dogs were then taken to the Brookside Zoo (now the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo). In 1998 the Alaska Legislature passed HJR 62- 'Bring Back Balto' resolution.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History declined to return Balto; however, in October 1998, Balto left for a five-month stay at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art which drew record crowds.

Aftermath

After the mission's success, Balto and Kaasen became celebrities. A statue of Balto, sculpted by Frederick Roth, was erected in New York City's Central Park on December 17, 1925, just 10 months after Balto's arrival in Nome. Frederick George Richard Roth (1872 &ndash 1944 was an American sculptor and Animalier, well known for portraying living Animals The The City of New York Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually Balto himself was present for the monument's unveiling. ^[3] The statue is located on the main path leading north from the Tisch Children's Zoo. The Central Park Zoo is located in Central Park in New York City and run by the Wildlife Conservation Society. ^[4] In front of the statue a low-relief slate plaque depicts Balto's sled team, and bears the following inscription:

Balto as seen in Balto III: Wings of Change. Balto III Wings of Change is a 2004 straight-to-video fictional Sequel to Universal Studios ' 1995 Animated film

Balto at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a Natural history Museum located approximately five miles (8 km east of downtown Cleveland Ohio in

On December 22, 1995, Universal Pictures released the animated film Balto. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Balto is a 1995 Animated / live action film produced by Steven Spielberg 's Amblimation animation studio distributed by The film was based on the events of the 1925 Serum Run.

See also

Outdoor sculpture in New York City

References

External links

• A German Fan-Project about the Movies and the Serum Run
• Listen to the story of Balto online - The American Storyteller Radio Journal
• Iditarod background from the Iditarod Trail Committee
• "The story of the REAL Balto"
• Balto in the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
• Balto at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• The Main Independent Balto Site