March, 17: It’s St Patrick’s Day!
All we known that March 17 is St Patrick’s Day, a cultural and religious holiday celebrated every year in Ireland and by Irish communities around the world. The celebration marks […]
#March 15, 1889: the power of nature blows gunboat diplomacy out of the water in Apia Harbour, Western Samoa
Gunboat diplomacy was at its height in 1889 and on this day, March 15, tension was high with an act of war seemingly imminent. Three American warships (the sloop-of-war USS […]
#March 13, 1770: Daniel Lambert – the heaviest person ever to have lived
Nobody knows what was wrong with Daniel Lambert who was born on this day, March 13 1770. But he went from being a slim, athletic, sports-loving guy to a very […]
#March 8, 1971: Frank Sinatra photographs the fight of the century
It was described as “the Fight of the Century”: Muhammad Ali, who had been stripped of his World Heavyweight Championship and suspended from boxing for three years after refusing to […]
#March 3, 1875: Carmen, the opera that shocked Paris
Carmen, now one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the world, had its premiere on this day, March 3 1875, in Paris. However, its story of an […]
#March 2, 1998: The film “Titanic” became the first ever movie to earn 1 billion US dollars at the box office.
The film “Titanic” became, on this day, March 2, 1998, the first ever movie to earn 1 billion US dollars at the box office. And, the love story of the […]
#February 24, 1825: Thomas Bowdler, the man who Re-wrote the “Offensive” Shakespeare
Thomas Bowdler, a doctor and philanthropist, popular to be the man who took all the naughty bits out of Shakespeare, died on this day, February 24, 1825, even if he […]
Paris through a Nazi’s lens: Propaganda pictures of Occupied France in 1940’s
André Zucca (1897-1973) was a French photographer and Nazi collaborator, popular thanks to his work with the German propaganda magazine Signal. Born in 1897 in Paris, son of an Italian […]
The splendid grave of the dancer Rudol’f Nureev covered by a rug like mosaic
A short distance from Paris is the Orthodox Cemetery Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, which houses many Orthodox Russians who died and were buried close to the French capital. Among these there is also […]
The real Sleepy Hollow: where the legends lives!
From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by […]
A splendid collection of rare color Photos of Paris taken about 100 Years Ago
For most of us are normal to see historical photographs in black and white, due to the diffusion of monochrome films during the early years of photographic technique. The color […]
Kransekake: the queen of cakes!
Around the world, holidays are an excuse for ambitious baking projects and, above all, for eat! But few delicacy are as architecturally impressive as the almond-based cake Kransekake, a Norwegian […]
The beautiful letter of 1973 from an illiterate woman to a distant husband
Being far from the people you love is one of the most difficult experiences in life, even with today’s trans-continental video-calls, skype and similar, all solutions cheap and easy. So […]
8# The delicious history of the Yule Log Cake – or bûche de Noël
Paris at Christmastime is heaven for sweet tooth. Even if, patisseries on virtually every street corner is attractive at any time of year, there’s something magical about windows packed with […]
5# Sinterklaas Pepernoten – Netherlands
Pepernoten (literally pepper nuts) are little, brown spice cookies very popular before and during the Dutch holiday Sinterklaasavond, or Saint Nicholas’s Eve. Sinterklaasavond occurs on the night of December 5 […]
A visit in Lawang Sewu, The Indonesian “House Of Thousand Doors”
Wars, suffering and blood shed fills the world’s history, and this is one of the reasons why many of the our planet’s older buildings have tragic histories that still mark […]
The Snow Child: a black humor medieval folktale
In medieval France a few different type of story was told as an alternative to the fairy tales or the popular fables, know as “Fabliaux”, in French, with a simple […]