Talk:Niagara Falls

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I thought there were three viewing towers on the Canadian side, not two. Lee M 03:48, 27 Dec 2004 (UTC)

There are two main towers, the Skylon and Minolta. A third tower is now part of the Casino Niagara complex, but I don't believe it's open to the public as an observation tower at the moment and is generally not considered by the people of the city to be "one of the towers." That being said, the current high rise hotel developments dwarf the older towers, so their prominence in the skyline and as observation posts has dwindled. --Avwhite 06:08, 27 Dec 2004 (UTC)

David Copperfield

I thought David Copperfield's plunge was an illusion. Rsduhamel 21:10, 27 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Honeymooners

The article describes the falls as a "favorite spot for honeymooners". Which honeymooners would that be? Gdr 08:56, 2004 Dec 28 (UTC)

The falls are a popular destination for newly married people who live on the East coast of canada and the united states.

swap out the non-gfdl postcard?

I have some from a recent trip which may work to replace the non-gfdl photo at the bottom of the article. See 1 2 3 4 5 for example. or do a search for "niagra". Any of them that are mine (Luke Stodola) are listed as CC-BY-SA; I give permission to use GFDL instead. Comments? Luke 08:34, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The postcard is an illustration of the Falls' significance in culture, not something that any personal photo can accomplish. Additional photos would be very desirable to add to our stock at the Commons, commons:Niagara Falls. Stan 12:24, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

how high is niagara falls

Niagara falls is 186 feet high

Worlds largest Ice Block?

Is it true that the winter of 1925 was so cold, Niagara Falls was frozen?

Most powerful in the world?

Okay, where exactly comes the notion that Niagara falls are the most powerful in the world? I see there is a source, but all the numbers I've seen say that Niagara pales compared to Boyoma Falls, Victoria Falls etc. I found this link according to which Niagara is biggest in North America but only 6th overall. --130.231.240.17 17:45, 8 November 2005 (UTC)

I will change the line back to lgst in NA. It appears the source was reproducing a myth... Niagara is definitely bigger than Victoria BTW, as your link shows. It seems there is some debate overwhat constitutes a waterfall. The first on the list here drops 315 ft over 9 miles, while it admits that Boyoma, ranked 3rd, probably shouldn't be considered a waterfall. Marskell 18:15, 8 November 2005 (UTC)

Unfortunately, there appears to be no authoritave source. Reported maximum and average volumes seem to differ as much as 50% depending on source. Several sources do report that both Victoria and Iguazu falls have higher maximum volume than Niagara. In average volume, Niagara is equal or ahead (many waterfalls in tropics become mere trifles during dry season). It seems likely that merely by maximum volumes, Niagara would not make top ten. However when considering only vertical waterfalls and average volumes, Niagara may very well be near or at the top. Guaira Falls were undisputably greater, but they are now under artificial lake. --130.231.240.17 11:17, 9 November 2005 (UTC)

That Niagara is larger than Victoria is anecdotal but I've also heard it ad naseum. The conventially repeated point (given that they are the two best known) is that N. is most voluminous, Victoria highest--both statements appear to be untrue. "When considering only vertical waterfalls and average volumes, Niagara may very well be near or at the top." Yes, exactly--in reading about the others it seems I'm reading about rapids not waterfalls as often as not. As a true waterfall, Niagara doesn't pale in comparison to anything ;). Marskell 11:24, 9 November 2005 (UTC)

Too many images ?

Does anyone else agree that there are too many images ? If so, I will try and clean it up a little bit. It seems like a mess to me right now.

I agree, but not strongly. The 2nd Horseshoe Falls shot is now superfluous, and the one above the Falls at night adds little. I like the historical photos, which were part of the article when it became "featured." Sfahey 04:50, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Alright, i've reinserted the historical photo. If enough people agree that the page has too many photos, I will try to clean it up. sikander 14:33, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Good work. I think this article looks great, and is a tribute to the team approach that is wikipedia at its best. Sfahey 15:26, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

I just came across this article, and think most of the images look good. Except the placement of the panoramic photo seems awkward, as often is the case with this type of image. How about just making it a "thumb" and right (or left) aligning it. I dislike it when the article specifies a particular image size, rather than allowing user settings in "my preferences" -> "files" to prevail. Also, I suggest getting rid of Image:Niagara-falls-large-letter-postcard.jpg (or at least making it smaller). --Kmf164 16:29, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

I think it looks better now, but I like the postcard, as long as it's stuck down with the footnotes.Sfahey 22:29, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

Maybe if the postcard were smaller, it would fit in better. --Kmf164 23:22, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

I think the panoramic photo looks a little ackward as Kmf164 stated. I think it would be better at the bottom of the page so the article will flow a little more. Right now it just cuts off the article. The night photos adds a nice contrast I think (I added them lol) and they should stay ;-) Decimal10 22:45, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

how far away is Niagara Falls from Buffalo

Anon user 207.255.236.69 asked that question. The answer is about 22 miles, depending on whether you go over the brink or not. People have tried barrels, rubber tires, rubber balls, etc., but the safest way is with a brinks truck. Wahkeenah 00:35, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

Niagara Falls "switched off at night"?

I have a calendar from the UK academic/training organisation City & Guilds which contains a "fact" for every day of the year. The fact for 5th March is (the exact words) "The Niagara Falls are switched off at night". Is this true??--195.172.170.130 07:32, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

• There an old joke that some tourist (a blonde, presumably) asks a public official whether they turn off the falls at night, as if the Niagara River were a spigot. They turn off the lights on the falls at some point, but typically not the falls themselves. Wahkeenah 16:19, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Actually this is partially true. During the nighttime around 80% of the Niagara's water flow is redirceted to the power stations. During the day only around 40% of the water flow goes to the generators. So this is kindof true. Probably should mention in the water that the falls hasn't seen 100% water flow for around 100 years now --T-rex 21:33, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I got in touch with City & Guilds about this and they replied quoting from the Worldbook encyclopedia: "Water flow: United States and Canadian hydroelectric plants divert some of the water through tunnels from the Niagara River before it reaches Niagara Falls (see NIAGARA RIVER (Water power)). For scenic reasons, however, the amount of water that may be diverted is regulated by a treaty between the United States and Canada. The treaty states that at least 100,000 cubic feet (2,800 cubic meters) of water a second must pass over the falls during daylight hours of the tourist season. At other times, the flow may be decreased to 50,000 cubic feet (1,400 cubic meters) a second." So if not switched off it is at least turned down... --195.172.170.130 07:32, 29 March 2006 (UTC)