Cultural Heritage
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 took off from Hilo International Airport at 1:25 PM for the short flight to Honolulu. On board were 90 passengers and five crew members. At approximately 1:48 the aircraft reached its flight altitude of 24,000 feet when a section of the hull on the forward left side of the plane ruptured. The aircraft suffered an immediate and explosive decompression, ripping away a large section of the hull along the roof of the plane.
Cinco de Mayo ("5th of May") is more than an excuse to drink margaritas. The festival actually commemorates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 - a victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over the French. The date is observed as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride around the world. The Battle of Puebla delayed the French invasion of Mexico City. Five years later, Mexican forces defeated the French and expelled them from Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that commemorates a battle fought in Mexico on the fifth of May in 1862—a battle that became an unexpected victory for the Mexican army over the French forces. Mexico was attacked by foreign troops because President Benito Juárez defaulted on his payments to European nations after war had depleted the country’s ability to pay. Mexico had endured three wars that put their country [...]
Driving east on I-40 toward the Great Smoky Mountains, a huge golden ball known as the Sunsphere guides you into downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.
Birmingham, Alabama - the Magic City - saw events and courageous people who played a central role in the Civil Rights struggle. World Footprints goes on a walking tour through history along the Civil Rights Heritage Trail as we step onto the grounds where African Americans confronted Jim Crow era voilence with non-voilent civil disobedience.
A friend invited me to share a house with her and a few other friends in Martha’s Vineyard over the Fourth of July weekend last year. Hearing stories of the Kennedys and the Obamas vacationing there, I assumed it would be a stuffy, pretentious community for the rich and famous. This was not the case.
Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as Black History Month and we greatly owe the celebration of this month of Black Heritage, more so, the study of black history to Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Enjoy the historic opening ceremonies surrounding the opening of the MLK Memorial in Washington, DC
Jekyll Island today is well known as a Georgia State Park where we can view a preserved piece of the lifestyle of the elite during the time of the robber barons. But did you know it also has a piece of history that was a factor in the Civil War? It was here that an illegal slave ship, The Wanderer, arrived on November 28, 1858, with over 400 people who were sold into slavery.
Located in western Illinois, on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, you’ll find my charming and welcoming hometown of Quincy. With a rich history, Midwestern hospitality, and a thriving arts scene, Quincy is Illinois’s best-kept secret.
Aran Mor is arguably the most significant example that comes to mind and an island on which you can learn about the past, while enjoying everything it has to offer in the present.
On January 13, 1888, a small group of explorers and scientists, 33 in all, gathered at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. (A place where DC members of the famed Explorers Club, including World Footprints, meet today.) They proposed to organize a society "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world's cultural, historical, and natural resources." Two weeks later, they incorporated the National Geographic Society . Alexander Graham Bell, the Society's second president, proposed a magazine, sales of which would help fund the Society's activities. In 1899, Bell's son-in-law Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor was named the first full-time editor of National Geographic magazine. He served the organization for fifty-five years (until 1954), and members of the Grosvenor family have played important roles in the organization since. Bell and Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor devised the successful marketing notion of Society membership and the first major use of [...]
New York City's La Guardia Airport opened on this day in 1938. Located in Queens County on New York's Long Island, the airfield was originally named Glenn H. Curtiss Airport but it was re-named after Fiorello H. La Guardia, a former mayor of New York City who presided over the airport's construction. It's central location and proximity to the city center make La Guardia a favorite hub for many travelers. La Guardia is the smallest of the city's three primary airports behind JFK and Newark's Liberty International.
