Cultural Heritage
The War of 1812 was over. On December 12, 1814, the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent ending the war. Unfortunately, American forces under the command of General Andrew Jackson and British forces encamped near New Orleans were unaware of that fact. The two armies had faced each other off south of New Orleans since mid-December and news traveled slowly.
The cathedral in Pisa has a free-standing bell tower on which construction began August 9, 1173 and took 117 years to complete. The development of the Tower started in 1173. Initially intended to be a bell tower, it stood upright for more than 5 years, yet when the third floor was finished in 1178 it started to lean.
Although the Times Square Ball made it’s debut on the roof of One Times Square in New York on December 31, 1906 to ring in 1907, Dick Clark began a new holiday tradition to televise the international event and surrounding celebrations as his first New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast rang in 1973.
One of India’s most iconic and exquisite attractions the Taj Mahal has for years drawn increasing numbers of tourists. Over the years, millions of tourists have traveled to Agra, India to soak up the beauty of the 17th- century mausoleum, now more than ever because of the greater accessibility to domestic travel.
Just after midnight on Christmas morning, Allied and German troops engaged in World War I put down their weapons to sing Christmas carols. Soldiers exchanged presents of cigarettes, plum puddings, and even played friendly games of soccer. The so-called "Christmas Truce of 1914" was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare.
Airline food is on a par with dreaded hospital food but it is important considering the millions of annual airline travelers who ingest airline morsels especially during the holidays. So before your next trip you may want to consider a recent study led by Dr. Charles Platkin director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center and editor of DietDetective.com that examined the health values of 11 major airlines’ in-flight food choices.
On this day in 2014, President Obama signed a proclamation regarding Wright Brothers Day in which he wrote in part: ...On December 17, 1903, two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, would write their own chapter in America’s long history of discovery and achievement.
On this day in history, December 6, 1773, the Boston Tea Party took place. Patriot leader Samuel Adams organized the "tea party" with about 60 members of the Sons of Liberty, his underground resistance group.
rom colorful buildings to canal-lined streets, Amsterdam is a city that tourists travel from far and wide to photograph. However, one of its most photographed spots has most recently been brought down.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, in 1901, The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. The ceremony came on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and other high explosives.
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback on this day in 1872 became the first person of African-American descent to serve as the governor of a U.S. State. Pinchback served as the Governor of Louisiana, rising to the office after serving as the acting lieutenant governor. When the governor of Louisiana was impeached and removed from office, Pinchback became governor for the last few weeks of the term.
On December 4, 1872, the captain of the commercial sailing vessel Dei Gratia, spotted the American ship Mary Celeste sailing toward the Straights of Gibraltar. Captain David Reed Morehouse of the Dei Gratia knew the Mary Celeste had sailed out of New York only a few weeks before.
