Author: Ms. R.

With most of the country just under the Arctic Circle, Iceland does not experience true polar night, where the sun stays below the horizon and darkness lingers throughout the winter. However, some parts of Iceland do experience a version of this phenomenon. Due to the nation’s steep mountains, many people live in areas where the peaks block the sun’s rays. This includes Ísafjörður, a small town in the Westfjords of Iceland. There, from late November to late January, the……

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MANY PASSERSBY ON IPSWICH’S EAGLE Street are unaware of the beast that surveys them. With wide, unsettling eyes and ivory fangs bared, the Ogre of Eagle Street keeps watch from above the door of a 17th-century house. At first, this decorative demon seems like little more than an unusual ornamentation, but legend grants it a far greater purpose. The land upon which Eagle Street now occupies was once, so the story goes, a godforsaken bog. This forbidding stretch of……

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The year of 1930 was a whirlwind for Washington, D.C. socialite Roxana B. Doran. Between hosting Daughters of the American Revolution chapter meetings, leading local church groups, and presiding over garden parties in Georgetown with husband Dr. James Doran, a government chemist, the 41-year-old Minnesota native was hard at work completing and promoting her authorial debut: a much-buzzed-about mixology guide called Prohibition Punches. The compilation of fruit juice-based drink recipes—dozens of frothy, alcohol-free concoctions that today could only be……

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This fresco-adorned medieval monastery outside of Subiaco dedicated to Saint Benedict of Norcia is built right into the rock face of Mount Taleo. From its high vantage point, the monastery overlooks ancient ruins. Aside from beautiful views, it contains 13th- and 14th-century art, including what historians believe is the oldest surviving portrait of Saint Francis of Assisi. Monks constructed the entire complex around the Sacro Speco, or “holy cave,” of Saint Benedict, where the revered figure supposedly once lived. The……

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The Chianti Sculpture Park is a permanent exhibition of contemporary sculptures located near the town of Pievasciata in the countryside near Siena The park is surrounded by nature and the mix of art and trees makes each visit unique while seasons flow. It’s best to visit during spring and inside the park there is also an amphitheater….

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The Petitt Memorial Chapel was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1907. It was commissioned by Emma Pettit to honor her late husband, William Pettit, a beloved physician from northern Iowa. She wanted the chapel to serve as a public memorial.  The small cemetery chapel is one of the earliest examples of Wright’s Prairie style. It is still used by individuals mourning their loved ones on a private basis. It is located within the Belvidere Cemetery….

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The 24-second shot clock, used to speed up low-scoring professional basketball games, was invented in Syracuse, New York, by Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone and general manager Leo Ferris. This monument of a continually running shot clock pays tribute to the city’s contribution to basketball….

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This week marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit or the Year of the Cat—depending one’s cultural traditions—and communities throughout Asia and around the world will celebrate the Lunar New Year, marked by the second new moon after the winter solstice. These stories are some of our favorites that go deep into the fireworks, feasts, and family time that make this part of the year so special. Blacksmiths Create Fiery Sparkling Rays With Molten Metal The farming……

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Joan of Arc, or Jeanne d’Arc in French, was born circa 1412 in the small village of Domrémy, known today as Domrémy-la-Pucelle in honor of Joan’s nickname la Pucelle d’Orléans (the Maid of Orléans). The village lies at the base of a wooded hill, with the Meuse River flowing quietly nearby, part of the Grand Est region of northeastern France. Her childhood home still stands in excellent condition in the center of town. The daughter of Jacques d’Arc, a……

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