Author: Ms. R.

In the 16th century, the Portuguese started trading with East Timor, and by the end of the century, East Timor had become a Portuguese colony. The Dutch and the British managed to take power for short spells of time in subsequent centuries, but the Portuguese managed to win the colony back. It was not until 1975 that East Timor became independent. After two decades of violent struggle with neighboring Indonesia, and East Timor finally formalized its status as an independent……

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Though this cast iron cod is the smallest listed structure in the United Kingdom at just over a meter tall, the scaly sculpture weighs a whopping 110 kilograms—ten times heavier on average than its natural brethren when caught. Installed in 1887 to receive donations for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), what is now the charity’s oldest collection box stands upon its tail, overlooking Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire. From this spot, centuries of fishing boats cast the village’s……

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Because of its geographical position, the Sicilian city of Palermo experiences Sirocco’s wind, a warm wind coming from Sahara which causes dusty dry conditions. From an early age, maintaining water supplies and finding relief from the heat were the primary needs of the Sicilian inhabitants in the summer. Luckily, the ancient city is equipped with some innovative infrastructure. From 831 to 1072, Palermo was under Arab rule during the Emirate of Sicily. During this period, many of the city’s……

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Located on the outskirts of Rotterdam, the Van Nelle factory is a very impressive feat of architecture. The Van Nelle business started in 1782, with an intimate local shop selling the much-in-demand products of tea, coffee, and tobacco. Back in those days, you couldn’t simply go to a supermarket for your produce. As with many businesses selling such products, the Van Nelle’s thrived back in those days. They established trade across the world and founded multiple plantations in India…….

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The Canary Islands are home to many beautiful dragon trees, some of which are thought to be over a millennium old. These trees were once considered sacred by the natives, revering them for their unique look and blood-like sap.  The largest of such trees is a pair of dragons in Breña Alta that have been growing in place there for several hundred years.  The Dragos Gemelos are best known for the tragic legend tied to them. The tale holds that a……

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Anchored in Peenemünde Harbor, not far from the main facility of the Peenemünde Army Research Centre is the Juliet-class Soviet submarine U-461. The submarine was acquired by Germany under complicated circumstances after the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. It now serves as a lifesize submarine museum. Inside the submarine, visitors are left essentially unsupervised to explore the various nooks and crannies of the enormous ship. Lifesize models of crew members have been placed around the various sectors,……

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During the 19th-century, Tasmania was Australia‘s primary penal colony. Around 12,500 female convicts were transported to the island where they were put to work in harsh, grueling labor camps known as Female Factories. The Cascades Female Factory opened in 1828, taking over the premises of a failed distillery in the foothills of Mount Wellington. The factory consisted of five yards, which included dormitories, solitary confinement, a wash yard, matron’s quarters, and an orphan school for the children of convicts…….

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Torcello is a small island on the Venetian Lagoon. Now barely populated, it was one of the first inhabited islands in the region and a flourishing town before the emergence of Venice overshadowed it. People came from the mainland to Torcello and the other islands in the lagoon to escape from invading armies during the downfall of the Western Roman Empire. The most feared of the invading peoples were the Huns led by Attila, who destroyed the city of……

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