Lists and Stories

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  21 Notable Paintings in the Musée d’Orsay The Musée d’Orsay is located in a former railway station and hotel, the Gare d’Orsay, in Paris. Its collection is focused primarily on French art from the second half of the 19th century and early years of the 20th. It is among Paris’s most popular museums, and these 21 paintings are just a...
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  21 Tombs Around the World A tomb, according to Britannica’s entry, is “a home or house for the dead.” Here are 21 tombs (or sites of many individual tombs) from around the world that show the varied ways that different cultures at different times have housed and honored their dead. Earlier versions of the descriptions of...
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  22 Paintings to See in Hamburg Hamburg is Germany’s largest port, and it is one of that country’s leading commercial centers. It also boasts a vibrant group of museums headlined by the Hamburger Kunsthalle, where these 22 paintings can be found. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001...
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  22 Questions About Time and Timekeeping Answered Humans, arguably, have been measuring time ever since they began tracking the rising and setting of the Sun. That means horology—the study of time’s measurement—has a very long history. This list is a brief horological primer. Earlier versions of these questions and answers first appeared in the...
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  23 Must-See Buildings for Your First Trip to India The Taj Mahal may be India’s most iconic monument, but it’s just one of many of the country’s significant buildings. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving (2016). Writers’ names appear in...
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  26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History Dividing history into decades is an arbitrary but sometimes very useful way of trying to understand the arcs and significance of events. Trying to identify any single event as crucial to the understanding of a given decade may be even more arbitrary. It is certainly subjective. Nevertheless, that...
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  25 Famous Paintings to See the Next Time You’re in Florence Florence is often called the birthplace of the Renaissance, which reached its peak in the 15th century. This Italian city has innumerable artistic treasures, these 25 paintings among them. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001 Paintings You Must See Before...
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  25 Must-See Buildings in China China’s recorded history stretches back more than 4,000 years. These 25 buildings merely scratch the surface of the country’s rich architectural heritage. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Mark Irving...
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  A Brief History of Press Freedom On December 2, 1766, the Swedish parliament passed legislation that is now recognized as the world’s first law supporting the freedom of the press and freedom of information. Narrowly, the Freedom of the Press Act abolished the Swedish government’s role as a censor of printed matter, and it allowed...
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  25th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm In the early morning of January 17, 1991, warplanes, attack helicopters, and missiles belonging to an international coalition led by the United States struck a variety of military and government targets in Iraq, commencing a campaign—code-named Operation Desert Storm—that sought to force Iraq to...
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  25th Anniversary of the End of the Soviet Union A eulogy of the Soviet Union would read that the 74-year-old superpower succumbed to a prolonged illness on December 31, 1991. During its final months, increasingly desperate measures were used in an attempt to stave off the demise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but these served only...
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  26 Historic Buildings to Visit the Next Time You’re in Paris Paris is known today as the City of Lights. Thousands of years ago it was called Midwater-Dwelling—which is how its Latin name, Lutetia, can be translated. This list covers just a few of the most notable structures built in Paris over all of these years. The descriptions of these buildings appear...
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  28 Places to See on Your California Road Trip California has been a hotbed of architectural changes and innovation. From the wacky to the sublime, this list shows the wide range of architectural experimentation and aesthetics in the Golden State. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must...
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  29 Paintings You Can Visit Only at the Louvre The Louvre in Paris has a collection that reaches from ancient civilizations to the mid-19th century. The museum’s history can be traced as far back as the 12th century, when a fortress was built on the site of the present-day museum; in 1546 King Francis I knocked much of that down and began...
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  30th Anniversary of Chernobyl April 25, 2016, marked the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, the worst disaster in the history of nuclear power generation. The Chernobyl power station, located in the town of Pryp’yat (now in Ukraine), consisted of four 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors. During the night of April 25–26,...
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  31 Masterpieces of Painting in Madrid There is evidence of prehistoric settlement at the site now occupied by Madrid, but the city’s origins can be more confidently traced back to at least the 10th century CE. This long history is echoed in the rich collections of the museums found there today. The 32 paintings listed here are just a...
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  31 Paintings to See in the Tate Collection The Tate collection includes British art from the 16th century to today as well as modern and contemporary art from around the world. It is held by four galleries: Tate Britain and Tate Modern, both in London; Tate Liverpool; and Tate St. Ives. To see all 31 of these paintings will require a trip...
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  35th Anniversary of Mount Saint Helens Eruption On May 18, 1980, the north slope of Mount Saint Helens, a volcanic peak in the Cascades Range, was blasted away in an eruption that killed 57 people and devastated an area of approximately 200 square miles. spotlight, anniversary, volcano, mount saint helens, eruption, united states,...
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  4 Fountains in Italy (and 1 in England) Fountains are a common feature of many cities, but Italy has a handful of unusually notable ones. There’s also one in England that, arguably, reflects the cultural differences between the two countries. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these fountains first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places...
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  4 Notable Paintings in Norway and 1 in Sweden Depicting Norway Norway became independent in 1905, though it has been home to humans since perhaps 10,000 BCE. That long history means a vast cultural heritage, of which these five paintings form a tiny part. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001 Paintings You Must See...