This Day in History on Travel - Page 3 of 16

John Cabot, The Columbus of England

By Major Dan on March 5, 2019 March 5, Travel

A Brief History On March 5, 1496, in the wake of the tremendous news about the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World, King Henry VII of England granted “letters patent” to John Cabot, an Italian sailor and adventurer, along with his sons, to explore the world on behalf of the English Crown. As Columbus was an Italian (Genoese) working for the King and Queen of Spain, so too was Cabot, an Italian originally from The Kingdom of Naples, employed by a foreign power. Cabot became (probably) the first European since perhaps the Vikings in the 11th Century to…

How to Travel the World as a Christian Study Abroad Student

By Jennifer Lockman on February 28, 2019 May 19, Travel

A Brief History On May 19, 2001, this site’s owner, Dr. Zar, then a student at the United Methodist Church affiliated Baldwin-Wallace College, departed from Ohio for France as part of a class trip. Studying abroad is an excellent choice for many students. It gives them a chance to learn in a new place and learn new lessons that they might not have been exposed to if they’d only studied on their local campus. For Christian students, though, a semester abroad can be a chance to grow spiritually as well as academically. There are a few things that you can…

February 26, 2013: What Was the Deadliest Hot Air Balloon Crash in History?

By Major Dan on February 26, 2019 February 26, Inventions, Sports, Travel, Vehicles

A Brief History On February 26, 2013, a sightseeing hot air balloon over Luxor, Egypt, was carrying 20 passengers and the pilot when something went horribly wrong. A leaking fuel line caused a fire to break out on the balloon when it was only a few meters off the ground, and the ensuing flames caused the balloon to rise dramatically. Engulfed in flames, some passengers jumped out of the gondola to their deaths, while others stayed in the passenger compartment until the balloon exploded, killing 19 of the 21 people that had been aboard, the worst death toll in hot…

How Many Countries Have Space Programs?

By Major Dan on February 24, 2019 February 24, Inventions, Travel, Vehicles

A Brief History On February 24, 2007, Japan launched a spy satellite into orbit, presumably to help keep track of threats to Japan from their neighbors China and North Korea. Maybe Russia, too. Since the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in the “Space Race” in the late 1950’s and 1960’s, several other nations have joined the club of nations with the ability to launch rockets into outer space. Used for weather monitoring, Earth mapping, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), research, communications (radio, telephone, television, digital), exploring other planets and even beyond, and spying on other countries, space programs have…

When Did People Start Naming Days of the Week?

By Major Dan on February 6, 2019 February 6, Horoscopes, Literature, Nature, Travel

A Brief History On February 6, 60 AD, in the Roman city of Pompeii, an unknown graffiti artist noted that the day was “dies Solis” (Sunday), the first known instance of being able to attach a date to a day of the week. While this bit of graffito is the earliest recorded account of a day and date being matched up, people had been naming days of the week prior to this incident. The Romans called Sunday “dies Solis” meaning day of the Sun. Read on for more about what the names of each day of the week mean and…