Human ingenuity led to the industrial revolution but it was powered by coal. Long hours and low pay, coal miners fed the machines in Detroit that built Ford Model T’s on a production line, the locomotives that shipped them all over the world, and cooked the food of the people Read more…
Ever seen one of those old-timey civil war rifles with “SPRINGFIELD, MASS” engraved on the metal slide? This is where it was made. George Washington himself authorized the construction of an armoury for the US Army in Springfield and it operated until 1968 hiring up to 14,000, or almost the Read more…
After the French stole this tract of land from indigenous people, the king granted it to Monseigneur François de Laval in 1674. In 1801, Joseph Papineau, a Lower Canadian legislator, bought the land and developed it. He sold it to his eldest son in 1817, who in 1855, named his Read more…
On the short of Lake Erie, Fort Erie stares down Buffalo with its might 18-pound cannons. Soldiers from all over Europe, including Swiss mercenaries, fought for Britain against the rebellious 13 colonies. But in 1814, the Americans captured the fort and used it as a base for attacking the British Read more…
Kingston was an important defensive position on the St. Lawrence River facing rebellious America. Fort Henry is the largest fortification along the St. Lawrence waterway west of Quebec City. It was built.in response to the War of 1812 and the limestone citadel was built in the 1830s. It was never Read more…
The telephone was conceived and invented in this house in Brantford, Ontario. Alexander Graham Bell lived here with his parents after they moved over from Edinburgh. Bell had a handwritten note detailing where he was during each stage of development to allay any future concerns about where the telephone was Read more…
Right below the more iconic Neuschwanstein Castle, this little brother is never jealous because it’s got a storied history of its own. Sitting next to the border with modern day Austria this was the home where King Ludwig II grew up, who later built the more architecturally majestic Neuschwanstein Castle. Hochenschwangau Read more…
Constructed in the late 1800’s by Bavarian King Ludwig II, it’s simply amazing to step into a castle where Richard Wagner (yes, the composer) was involved in. Some of the paintings inside the castle were even inspired by his compositions and operas. The brightly decorated interior (especially the throne room) Read more…
The confederation of Canada happened in Charlottetown. In 1864, 23 representatives from the five eastern provinces excluding Newfoundland and Labrador met here to discuss forming a federal union. A competition began in the 1950s to build the Confederation Centre of the Arts and over 40 submissions were entered. In 1964, Read more…
Travelers learning about the underground railroad should start here in Cincinnati before making their way up to the Susan B. Antony House in Rochester, the Windsor-Detroit river crossing, and the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society. The slave trade existed In Africa but was made more brutal under the Europeans, who brought Read more…