Five years ago Hurricane Katrina released its fury upon the Gulf Coast and devastated the citizens of New Orleans. Some naysayers claimed that New Orleans wasn’t coming back but they failed to realize that New Orleans is a city with a waterproof soul and an unbreakable spirit. (more…)
France was on the verge of revolution. The citizenry had become increasingly demanding of King Louis XVI. The Bastille contained only seven prisoners, but it held captive a great symbolic value. Not only did the fortress hold a great store of weaponry and gunpowder, but it had for centuries been the prison for those who disagreed with royalty. The demonstrators had earlier raided the Hôtel des Invalides, removing its armory of muskets and weapons. The garrison was defended by 82 invalides – older soldiers too infirm for field duty. The Bastille fell after a brief skirmish, its commander killed and beheaded.
The insurrection spread, and French royalty began to flee the country. The end for King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, was near.
Source: Travel Research Online
The city known as La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) came into being on May 7, 1718. Named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans in France, the city’s port made it an ideal area for the French Mississippi Company under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. Under the terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, the city was turned over to Spain but then reverted again to France in 1801. Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of the French colony along with a massive swath of land in the middle of the American continent in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Slave labor and fertile Mississippi farm land fueled the sugar and cotton industry in the area. A unique creole culture took root, giving the city a texture and flavor unlike any other city in the country. Even today, Louisiana’s court system is the only one in the United States largely based on Napoleonic principles rather than English Common Law.
Source: TRO Travelgram
Cinco de Mayo (“5th of May”) commemorates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 – a victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over the French. The date is observed as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride around the world. The Battle of Puebla delayed the French invasion of Mexico City. Five years later, Mexican forces defeated the French and expelled them from Mexico.
On April 10, 1912 the RMS Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage. The ship departed Southampton, England, bound for New York City, New York, with Captain Edward J. Smith in command and 2,223 people aboard. The Titanic stopped in France and Ireland to pick up additional passengers. Among the passengers were many famous names: John Jacob Astor and his wife; Denver millionairess Margaret “Molly” Brown; Benjamin Guggenheim; Macy’s owner Isidor Straus along with the White Star Line’s director J. Bruce Ismay and the ship’s builder Thomas Andrews. There were three classes of passengers; many in third class were Irish and British immigrants looking to a new life in America.
On Sunday, April 14, the ship altered course slightly south in response to iceberg warnings. A number of subsequent warnings from other ships were received, but not acted upon. At 11:40 pm, lookouts spotted an iceberg directly ahead of the ship. A collision was unavoidable. The ship hit the massive ice, buckling its hull and breaching five underwater compartments. Shortly after midnight, Captain Smith ordered lifeboats into the water. There were only 20 lifeboats on board with a total capacity of 1, 178 people, but many of the lifeboats were launched only partially filled as in the early stages of the crisis, many did not believe the ship would sink. Of the 2,223 people on board the RMS Titanic, 1,517 died with only 706 surviving.
