This Day in History on Travel - Page 3 of 18

Sole Survivor, Incredible True Story!

By Major Dan on June 30, 2019 June 30, The Bizarre, Travel, Vehicles

A Brief History On June 30, 2009, one of those fantastic tales you think you would only see in the movies or in a fantasy novel really happened when an airliner crashed near the Indian Ocean island of Grande Comore, killing 152 of the 153 aboard the Airbus A310 jetliner. The sole survivor on the flight from Yemen to the Comoros Islands was a girl of 14 years of age, found 13 hours after the crash bobbing in the ocean while clinging to floating wreckage. Digging Deeper Yemenia Flight 626 featured an Airbus twin engine jet airliner, model Airbus A310-324,…

Explosion at Water Park Kills 15 People!

By Major Dan on June 27, 2019 Arts & Entertainment, June 27, Travel

A Brief History On June 27, 2015, the Formosa Fun Coast waterpark in Bali, New Taipei, Taiwan, experienced a massive explosion that killed 15 people and injured an additional 497. Among the injured, 199 were in critical condition. The cause of the explosion was colored corn starch powder used in a “Color Play Asia” party, a ritual of the Hindu religious festival “Holi” (“Festival of Colors.”) A performance on a music stage observed by hundreds of park goers was the setting for the disaster. Digging Deeper The recreational waterpark had been open since 1989, and was closed after the explosion. …

Who Was the Longest Reigning Monarch in European History?

By Major Dan on May 7, 2019 May 7, Politics, Religion, Travel

A Brief History On May 7, 1664, King Louis XIV of France began construction on the Palace of Versailles, one of the most iconic structures in the world and the symbol of the throne of France. Today the palace and grounds are a Monument historique and UNESCO World Heritage site and remains one of the biggest tourist attractions in France, a country noted for its tourist attractions. Digging Deeper From 1682 to 1789 the Palace of Versailles was the residence of the monarch of France and the epitome of royal excess. First the home of Louis XIV, by the time…

How to Avoid Being The Ugly American When Traveling Abroad

By Major Dan on May 5, 2019 Crime, May 5, Travel

A Brief History On May 5, 1994, American teenager Michael Fay made international news when he was punished in Singapore for theft vandalism by the local custom of “caning.” The case caused outrage in the United States that one of our own 18 year old citizens could be treated with corporal punishment for a youthful prank, but the rest of the world saw the offenses of Fay as an egregious affront on the hospitality of another country. A protest by the United States got Fay’s sentence reduced from 6 strokes of the cane to only 4 strokes. Digging Deeper Michael…

Are Canary Birds from the Canary Islands?

By Major Dan on April 29, 2019 April 29, Military, Politics, Travel

A Brief History On April 29, 1483, the Kingdom of Castile captured the main island of the Canary Islands, Gran Canaria, leading to Spanish ownership of the islands to this day. Consisting of many smaller islands as well as the 7 “main” islands, the largest island is Tenerife, and Gran Canaria is the third largest island with an area of 600 square miles. (For comparison, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, home to Cleveland, has an land area of 457 square miles, and Cook County, Illinois, home to Chicago, has a land area of 945 square miles. With 596.7 square miles of land,…