Travel

January 14, 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt traveled by plane from Miami to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill. FDR was the first president to travel by plane while in office. 

It was at this conference, which Stalin did not attend, that unconditional surrender of the Axis Powers was the only option. 

http://ww2today.com/14th-january-1943-churchill-and-roosevelt-meet-at-casablanca

Polish History

January 13, 1964, Karol Wojtyla was named Archbishop of Krakow. He would later go on to become Pope John Paul II. 

As a Pope, he was the second longest serving Pope and the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. The Poles in Krakow loved Pope John Paul II. He visited the Salt Mines in Krakow but was unable to do so as a Pope. But a miner made a salt statue and placed it in the Saint Kinga cathedral in the Salt Mines in honor of the Polish Pope. 

(Saint Kinga cathedral. Pope John Paul II's statue is hidden by the railing in the bottom left corner.)

(KeithMajor, Feb 2008)

Issues with the United Kingdom

When Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire, many of the Ancient Greek artifacts were being destroyed. Thomas Bruce, the British Ambassador to Constantinople "saved" the artifacts and in 1816, the British Museum purchased them. 

The exhibit in the British Museum states that sculptures from the Parthenon are equally divided between the British Museum and the Nee Acropolis Museum. The British Museum also says that now, visitors can view the sculptures at eye level (because they aren't at the top of the Parthenon) and they can be connected to world history. 

The Greeks see it differently. In 2009, the New Acropolis Museum opened and it houses most, if not all, sculptures found on and around the Acropolis. It has also been said that the museum was a way to tell the Brits and the French that the Greeks would like their cultural artifacts back and that they have a proper way to house them. 

Who do you think should have the Ancient Greek artifacts? 

Tower of London

Yeoman Warders, guards at the Tower of London, have been serving since 1485. Under Henry VIII's rule that they earned the nickname of Beefeater because they received a ration of beer and beef. At the time, beef was expensive and reserved only for the privileged.

British Judicial System

The Supreme Court of the UK was established by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 to emphasize the separation of powers. Prior to the Act, the highest court was a part of Parliament. 

London

January 9, 1863, 151 years ago today, the London Underground, also known as The Tube, opened. 

http://www.historytoday.com/stephen-halliday/down-tube

History is Alive

As I finish my class trip in Central Europe, I am now more of the opinion that history is always relevant and that it is still being discovered. 

While I was visiting Concentration camps and seeing the Nazi party parade grounds, a Pacific theater World War II battlefield was discovered! What are the chances and... HOW COOL?! 

 http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/07/lost-wwii-battlefield-found-war-dead-included/