Archive for the ‘Destinations’ Category

A Brief History of Venice

Friday, December 5th, 2008
history
Positivecontent asked:


History of Venice says that Venice was founded on April 25 in 421 AD. It was the village of Torcello and not Venice that was very important during that time as it was the refugee ground for many people who fled from the barbarian invasions. Slowly Venice was built on a number of islands of a lagoon. They were connected by bridges.

 

According to the ancient history of Venice, the government formed was known as Doge government with the first doge being Orso Ipato in 726 AD. Commercialization began after 1000 AD when it was successful in defeating the pirates of the Adriatic Sea. It took part in the Crusades for a free Jerusalem.

 

The historical journey from Venice to China of the Venetian merchant Marco Polo took place during the Middle Ages (1271-95 AD). Venice was successful in gaining the position of a leader among the four sea powers of the Mediterranean Sea in 1348 AD. It conquered the island of Cyprus in 1489 AD.

 

Ghetto was founded for the first time in Venice in 1516 AD. In 1630 AD, Venice was attacked by a great plague. In 1790 AD, the Teatro La Fenice was founded and after 7 years in 1797 AD, the Venetian Republic called Repubblica Serenissima di Venezia got defeated in the hands of Napoleon.

 

With its defeat, Venice was incorporated into the Hapsburg Empire of Austria. A state of decline started after that as several palaces and buildings went into despair. In 1848 AD, the Venetians attempted to get Venice free from the Hapsburg Empire. Ultimately, in 1866 AD, Venice became a part of Italy.

 

The Second World War could not damage the city of Venice but a flood occurred in 1966 and made a heavy damage to the city. Today, it is one of the major tourist places of the world with well developed transport system like buses, water buses, car hire Venice service, etc.

 



Lee

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History of Capitola, California

Saturday, October 11th, 2008
history
Seb Frey asked:


The history of Capitola, California is rich with stories and history. The city is constructed on the site the Soquel Indians dwelt upon for over 1,000 years. The Soquel were transferred to the Mission in Santa Cruz. There is virtually nothing left that bespeaks of the once thriving Indian culture of the Soquel. The area has been known for dealing with several floods over the last century and a half.

It was named as a tribute to the famed novels by E.D.E.N. Southworth by Lulu Hall Wolbach. The heroine of the book was name Capitola. Lulu was the daughter of the city’s founder, Samuel A. Hall. She spent a period of time as a teacher to the Soquel before their sojourn to Santa Cruz. Samuel A. Hall leased the area in 1869 from a developer, Frederick Hihn, who had worked hard to promote the development of the area. The area looked to have a lot of potential in Hall’s eyes and he struck out to make it a prosperous place. A camp was opened in 1874 on Independence Day. At first, the Halls pitched tents for guests that ran along a simple dirt path. The Santa Cruz-Watsonville Railroad assisted greatly with bringing visitors into the area.

Once the area was on its way to success, Hihn took full control. He set about dividing property into lots that were first sold in 1882 for summer dwellings. The camping area evolved into a hotel equipped with 160 rooms to accommodate guests. The hotel was essentially a vacation spa with warm baths of salt-water. When World War I was over, Hihn’s daughter as his heir began to sell pieces of the estate. Hihn had passed away previously in 1913.

A speculator, Henry Allen Rispin, saw the potential of the area to become a modernized refuge from everyday life. His plans involved building a golf course, redoing the Esplanade, and building the Venetian Courts. Rispin was assaulted by financial difficulties, and after a series of foreclosures beginning in 1927 he left behind his estate at the inception of The Depression Era in 1929.

In the following decades the residents of the city worked together to make the city their own. It was the third city to be established in Santa Cruz County in 1949. It went from existing as a village to a city at that time. It is believed that the history of Capitola, California involves it being the oldest resort still in operation in the state.

The city is thought to be the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s famed masterpiece, “The Birds.” Birds had descended upon the area in 1961 and launched an attack. The breed of birds that became aggressive is known as Sooty Shearwaters. Hitchcock frequented the area for visits and was mesmerized by the idea of birds attacking humans when he read about the incident. During the 1970’s and 80’s the area became host to a skateboard competition. It involved a yearly race downhill. World class skaters were attracted and participated in the event.



Lawrence

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History of Kenya

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
history
Maggie Nguyo asked:


Kenya is in the South Eastern part of Africa, flanked on the South by Tanzania, to the West by Uganda and to the North by the Sudan and Ethiopia. Kenya’s Eastern side to the North forms a border with Somalia and to the South consists of the beautiful Kenyan beaches that are lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Over the centuries, we can trace the history of Kenya as far back as 2,000 BC. African tribes migrated from the North, West and South to populate the fertile grounds of the Kenyan Highlands creating a melting pot of languages and cultures in Kenya. Over the last 1500 years, the migrations have largely been by nomadic pastoralists who settled near water and rich feeding grounds for short periods of time until it was time to move on and look for greener grass. Bantu, Nilote and Hima peoples all came here. Today’s descendants are largely from the Bantu tribes, the Kamba, and the Kikuyu settled in the highlands to the North, while the Taita and other clans occupied the coastal areas to the South. Later, in the 17th century, Maasai clans migrated to the central plains.

The history of Kenya has not only been influenced by African tribe migrations. Due to its coastal location, Kenya has been subject to foreign invasions from Persians and Arabs throughout its history, leaving behind a strong Arabic influence. In fact the Swahili language, which is spoken in Kenya today, derives both from Bantu and Arabic. When Vasco da Gama discovered Kenya along the sea route to India in 1498, the Portuguese flocked to the area, hoping to dominate trade with India by the same token. Subsequent wranglings over trade in the Indian Ocean subjected Kenya to struggles with British, Dutch and Omani powers until it finally fell under the British Empire.

But it was the plantation system, established during the colonial period, that really helped Kenya develop economically and establish its independence. Brought to Kenya hundreds of years earlier from Ethiopia, Coffee crops became really important to Kenya’s economy in the 1900s. Over the last one hundred years, coffee and tea have become two of Kenya’s major exports. Today the plantations provide job security for Kenyans. Kenya is the world’s third largest tea producer. There is a good chance that your cup of tea has its origins in the fertile highlands of Kenya. For more information about Kenya’s rich history go to http://www.my-kenya-guide.com/history-of-kenya.html



Chester

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