user locations: pete_nice - history
birthplace of the buddha
from buddha, buddhism posted in history by pete_nice
SiddhÄrtha Gautama, later known as Gautama Buddha (or just Buddha), was born in the town of Lumbini in present-day Nepal around c. 563 BCE or c. 480 BCE.
view full location details...lighthouse of alexandria (former)
from seven wonders of the world posted in history by pete_nice
Commissioned by the first Ptolemy in 280 BC, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was a monumental structure that stood around 400 ft (122 m) tall.
The lighthouse functioned through the use of large fires in the interior cylinder and a use giant mirror at the top. It's referenced throughout historical texts, and the lighthouse's image was printed on coins from the era.
The lighthouse, or Pharos, was badly damaged in earthquakes in 956, and then again in 1303 and 1323. In 1480, the Sultan of Qaitbay demolished the remnants to create a citadel.
view full location details...north brother island
from typhoid mary posted in history by pete_nice
Although it's now off-limits to the public and currently serves as a bird sanctuary in the Harbor Heron Preserves project, North Brother Island was once a quarantine zone for people with infectious diseases.
North Brother Island held several cases of smallpox, tuberculosis, and other diseases, but the most famous resident was undoubtedly Typhoid Mary.
Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant who worked as a cook, was visibly healthy to an inspection. After following a trail of fevers and infections in 1906, researcher George Soper connected the dots to Mallon.
Mary was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever, meaning that she carried the disease without suffering from the symptoms. She was forcibly quarantined (twice) on North Brother Island until her death from a stroke there in 1938. She was 69 years old.
View a recent photo essay of the North Brother Island ruins.
view full location details...teddy roosevelt birthplace
from teddy roosevelt, u.s. presidents posted in history by pete_nice
The only U.S. president to be born in New York City, Theodore Roosevelt began life here on October 27, 1858.
The original Roosevelt brownstone was torn down in 1916, but has since been rebuilt to reflect the period, and is now a museum managed by the National Park Service.
view full location details...beethoven house
from beethoven posted in history by pete_nice
Composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven was born in this house on December 16, 1770.
Today, it's the home to the Beethoven House museum.
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