World Briefs
Sir Hans Sloane was a naturalist who had managed to amass an enormous collection of books, manuscripts, dried plants and antiquities from his travels. As he neared his death, he did not wish to see his collection broken up or, worse yet, forgotten. Sloane bequeathed his collection to King George II who, in turn, gave his royal assent to an Act of Parliament to establish the British Museum using Sloane's collection as a foundation. Two large libraries of books, one of which included the only surviving copy of Beowulf, were added to the Sloane materials. The concept for the British Museum was unique - it was owned by the government, but not by the king, and was freely open to the public. First situated in the Montagu House, the exhibition galleries and a reading room opened on January 15, 1759. The gallery was first situated in Montagu House in Bloomsbury. [...]
For those adventurous enough and not scared of heights, there is a new attraction in Las Vegas that is sure to give people a thrill. The new attraction is called the FLY LINQ at the LINQ Promenade, which is a zip line along the infamous Vegas strip. The zip line opened up on Jan. 1 and has a special superheroes theme display.
On January 10, 1863' the London Underground (a.k.a. the Tube) became the first underground rail system in the world. In 1890 the world's first electric trains began operating there as well. The original track ran between London Paddington station and Farringdon station. Many more lines would be added to the Underground railway network over the years, but most of it was developed over the next 50 years.
The Cunard Line, then known as the Cunard White Star Line launched the RMS Queen Elizabeth in 1938. Named for Queen Elizabeth (not the current Queen but her mother) the RMS Queen Elizabeth was the largest passenger liner ever built, a record she held for 56 years.
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.
The U.S. State Department is warning citizens on their travels to China to be a bit more cautious. According to the agency, there has been some subjective implementation of local laws along with special restrictions placed on dual U.S.-Chinese citizens.
Tourism is a major economic activity for Sri Lanka that has exponentially grown since 1970. With annual visits by the travel community in 2017 reaching 2,116,407, tourism is among the major earners for the country.
In the Netherlands, cycling is somewhat of a national obsession, and Amsterdam lies deep in the cycling whirlwind. Amsterdam is referred to as the bicycle capital of the world and as of next year, it will make its mark as one of the most cycling-friendly cities. From spring of 2019, mopeds and scooters will be banned from all the bike lanes.
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.
