Culture
2011 world anniversaries
France – 90 years ago this year: Coco Chanel launched her famous perfume bottle N5 in 1921 – Why five? Just because it came out in the month of May and she kept the number thinking it would become a lucky number. She was right.
France – 190 years ago: in May 1821 Napoléon Bonapartre died at the age of 51 in the island of St. Helen in the South of the Atlantic Ocean. Napoléon had been living there since he was deported in 1815.
France – 200 years ago: in 1811, Napoléon II was born in France. Known as Napoléon François Joseph Charles or Duke of Reichstadt, he followed his father, Napoléon Bonapartre, but only reigned 15 days in 1815.
Russia – 50 years ago: on April 12th, 1961 Yuri Gargarin was the first man in space. The astronaut traveled for 1h48 minutes in Vostok 1. He became a hero in the former Soviet Union, at a time when the Americans were too trying to put someone in space.
Aswan Dam dividing Nile and Lake Nasser
Austria: the pianist Amadeus Mozart, who had arrived in Vienna in 1781, died there ten years later.
Italy: the worlwide known Rialto Bridge from Venice was first built in 1181! It had to be redone and the second one, made of stone is also quite old, 420 this year!
Germany – 50 years ago: Berlin started building a Wall in August 1961, dividing the capital into East and West Berlin. At the beginning it was a wire fence. The Wall remained there for more than 28 years. If you go to Berlin this year, you will be able to see many exhibits.
USA – 70 years ago: the Pentagon, the American Defense building will be 70 years old this year on September 11th.
Egypt – 40 years ago: on January 15th 1971, the Aswan High dam opened. It was built to help irrigations on the Nile and it took ten years to be completed. Lake Nasser is the reservoir for the dam.
