A Map of Neutral Moresnet History In 1816, Neutral Moresnet was founded. A sliver of land where the Netherlands and Prussia (and where Belgium would soon) meet was a zinc powerhouse, and thus heavily contested over. There were only two zinc mines in Europe at the time, so the Congress of Vienna saw this and … Continue reading Neutral Moresnet: The Story of a Failed (Linguistic) Utopia
San Marino is enclaved by Italy Fascism From 1923 to 1943, San Marino was led by a fascist government. This was a result of the fascist change in Italy around them. After the fall of Mussolini, the fascist movement returned for a small time in 1944. Giuliano Gozi, a World War One veteran, started the … Continue reading The Fascist, the Axis, and the Communist: The Story of the Forgotten History of San Marino
Why Do These Still Exist? Destalinization means the act of removing Stalin's influence in a (usually Communist) country. This almost always involves the act of removing any statues or busts of Stalin. Deleninazition is a less formal word, and it means the act of removing Lenin's influence in a (usually Communist) country. This almost always … Continue reading Lenin’s Reign in Antarctica: The Story of Oddly Placed Lenin Statues
A Flag Map of the Mongolian People's Republic Introduction It was bound to happen, wasn’t it? Sandwiched between two historically Communist states, Mongolia was destined to have a Communist era. From 1924 to 1992, the Soviet Union and China had another Communist ally neighbor. Beginnings On November 26th, 1924, the Mongolian People’s Republic came to … Continue reading When Mongolia was Communist
A Twenty-Cent Piece: While $100 coins have existed in America (Bullion Coins and Union Coins), weirder, less useful coin denominations have circulated. From 1792 to 1933, the US issued Eagle Coins in many denominations. The standard Eagle was worth $10. The mint also made the Double-Eagle, Half-Eagle, and the Quarter-Eagle. Yes, the US produced a … Continue reading The Weird Side of American Currency: My Half-Cent
A Canadian Penny Introduction You may know that to produce a one-cent coin is to lose a large amount of money, for it usually costs more to make than what you would profit. This is why Canada, along with many other countries, has opted out of using the penny. Who Has Stopped Using the Penny? … Continue reading The Fall of the Penny
Introduction Kigali, Rwanda is a city of over 1.2 million people, 60% of whom are relatively young. Many refer to this city as the “Cleanest City in Africa” or the “Cleanest City in the World” even. When looking across the spotless landscape reminiscent of the cleanliness of the Aztecs, you will notice no trash. “To … Continue reading How Kigali Became Spotless
Introduction On the beautiful Rebild Hills on the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark, there lies an area where Danes celebrate American Independence, with singing, dancing, and the American and Danish flags flying side by side. Only during the two world wars did Denmark stop this eccentric tradition. But, the Danes don’t celebrate the same way we … Continue reading The Fourth of July in Denmark: The Story of The 51st State
Lithuania Gained Independence Twice Azerbaijan - 1918, 1918, and 1991 Azerbaijan was conquered by the Russian Empire after a series of wars with Iran. People in Russian-occupied Azerbaijan were separated from their ethnic brothers in Iran. This led to segregation in the area. Azerbaijan joined Armenia and Georgia in an experiment with a Transcaucasian State, … Continue reading Other Countries With Many Independence Dates
Independence from Spain In 1516, the Spaniard Juan Diaz de Solis was the first European to access Uruguay. At first, because of Uruguay’s lack of mineral resources, neither Portugal nor Spain took an interest in colonizing it. In 1726, the city of Montevideo, the modern-day capital of Uruguay, was founded. It was put in with … Continue reading How Uruguay Gained Independence, Five Times: The Story of a Stubborn Nation
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