Author: Ms. R.

From the ancient Sumerians, who built some of the world’s first fish ponds in 4500 B.C., to the Romans, who managed to keep seawater flowing into seaside enclosures, humans have been working to keep aquatic species alive on land for a long time. Many of these fish and other species were kept for food, but wonder played a part, too. During China’s Tang Dynasty (618–907) people started to breed colorful carp for ornamental purposes. By 1611, porcelain bowls containing……

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Seven of the cars at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  They include four (an Argonne, an Argo Limousine, a Columbia Mark XIX, and a Compound) that are the last intact version of their model. Three other automobiles—the Sheldon, Heine-Velox Victoria, and Hay—are the only models ever made. They are just a few of the more than 100 antique cars built between 85 and 123 years ago, spanning the industry’s evolution from……

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The Netherlands is known for its flat terrain and reclaimed land, much of which is below sea level. The highest point in the land is an underwhelming 322 meters, but what about the lowest? That honor goes to a quiet region in the town of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. The point is located on the bottom of a former polder that has been dried up in 1841 in order to access the peat beneath it. Over the years the……

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On the grounds of a vineyard in the hills of La Morra in Italy, this beautiful brightly-colored chapel honors the Barolo wine. The chapel is more than a century old, but was renovated and repainted in 1999 by two contemporary artists. When it was first built in 1914, the small chapel served as a shelter for the vineyard workers. It was never formally consecrated. In the early 1970s, the land—and the chapel—was acquired by the Ceretto family, who were……

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“There was something strange and extraordinary about her – something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting…” – P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins  Mary Poppins, the stern yet affectionate, mysterious and magical nanny to the Banks children, has delighted readers around the world with her adventures since 1934. Created by P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins featured in eight books, always appearing at just the right time to relieve the over-burdened Banks parents, teach the mischievous Banks children important life……

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Just across the street from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, this austere grey cuboid that sits in a quiet corner of Berlin‘s Tiergarten was commissioned to pay tribute to the long-ignored thousands of homosexual individuals who were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered in the Holocaust. Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi regime carried out a campaign against male homosexuality. They harassed Germany’s gay communities and arrested thousands of gay men under Paragraph 175, the statute of the……

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Henry Huttleston Rogers may have been one of the wealthiest men in the world in the late 19th century, but it can’t be said he forgot his roots. Having made a fortune in oil refining, Rogers began donating buildings to his hometown of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, including the town hall, a sprawling high school campus, and the local public library. When Rogers’ daughter Millicent Gifford “Millie” Rogers died of heart failure at age 17 in 1890, the family sought to……

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Amsterdam is known for its canal house architecture, where narrow houses line the streets eventually widening out into large homes. This old way of tax evasion is now an iconic style. However, it didn’t take long for architects to craft a new form of architecture. One such architect was Tjeerd Kuipers, most famous for a commissioned project that he completed for Sam van Eeghen. The aptly named Seven Country Houses, a row of seven houses were built to represent the architectural……

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The Bandera Volcano Ice Cave, also known as the Zuni Cave, is a lava tube cave formed by the nearby Bandera volcano more than 3,000 years ago. The landscape surrounding the cave bears the scars of its volcanic past. As such, it is affectionately known as New Mexico’s “Land of Ice and Fire.” The cave’s shape and shade ensure the temperature never rises above 31 degrees Fahrenheit. The green color of the ice comes from arctic algae, which feed……

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In the middle of one of the busiest thoroughfares of Pune, India—standing out amid the commercial complexes, shopping centers, banks, and flyovers, is a more than 140-year-old structure.  This structure is known as the Old Water Tower or the Heritage Water Tower. Thousands of citizens commute past it every day and often gaze at it fondly. The tower was once used to store water for the iconic Reach Mansion, which is just a couple of blocks away. The tower……

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