History News

History has it that Germany is a focal point of humanity's history. Among its many cities and states, it's capital Berlin is the most popular for its rich historical value. The Berlin Wall is a world-known iconic symbol of the Cold War. For 28 years, it served as the symbol of a post-war divided Germany, a towering symbol of Communist tyranny sending a strong message of Germany's political and economic distinction from the rest of the world. Berlin Wall's fall in 1989 showed the world Germany's transformation and adaptability to modernist ideologies and philosophies, making the city a more celebrated place in Europe and the rest of the world. Recently, Berlin has made yet another historic event after hosting the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Germany played host to the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Berlin as the venue for the Final match held last July 9th. Up to the few days post-final match, Berlin was home to thousands of World Cup fanatics. Supporters of the 32 participating countries trooped to the city to witness and experience the glory of one of the most anticipated sporting event in the world that only happens every four years. The 2006 FIFA World Cup is Germany's second hosting of the event, the first was in 1974. Well-planned security was the utmost concern of the city and national government for its multi-racial visitors.

The final match won by team Italy against France was held at Berlin's historic Olympic stadium or more popularly known as the Olypmpiastadion. The Olympiastadion had been a venue for many great sporting event such as the 1936 Summer Olypmics Games, 1974 World Cup FIFA Finals, and many international football matches. For the 2006 World Cup, the Olympiastadion had to undergo renovations to meet the anticipated demands of the monumental event. The renovations were done to maximize Olympiastadion's functionality to provide optimum comfort for the 2006 World Cup spectators. From only 27,000 covered seats, it now boats of a 74,200 covered seats. After the 2006 World Cup's cloud has cleared, what's next for Olympiastadion is tremendously being anticipated.

Buddhism is among the world's oldest religions. Featuring a blend of spiritual practices and a philosophic life, the religion seeks to end all forms of human suffering. According to its founder, nirvana (total liberation) can only be achieved through the Noble Eightfold Path or the Middle way.

However, India, which is the cradle of the Buddhist religion, is following a different path as it prepares for the celebration of the 2550th birthday of Buddha. Until now, many are still wondering how Buddhism exactly spread throughout the world. As such, India's archaeology department has decided to embark on an investigation in order to trace the routes taken by the disciples of Buddha namely: Matang, Kashyap, and Kumar Jeev. The three were instructed by the founder to spread the message of harmony and peace to all people.

The big project called "The Buddha Sandesh Yatra" will comprise 11 nations starting from Sarnath, to Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afganistan, and Tibet. The team in charge of the project will also meet with university professors and researchers from the 11 countries in order to trace the origin of Buddhism in their respective places. Finally, the team aims to promote cultural ties during the entire project.

The Indian government is planning to hold a big celebration in November in honor of Buddha's 2,550th birthday. The country then hopes to attract more foreign visitors thus boosting its tourism during the festivity. In order to grace the event, India plans to highlight its Buddhist heritage and to provide hospice to those who are in search of spiritual enlightenment. Hence, with the campaign slogan: "Come to India, Walk with the Buddha," the nation hopes to draw tourists who will be flocking sacred Buddhist places across India.

According to a tourism official, the preparations will focus more on spiritual tourism aimed at uplifting the spirit and finding tranquility by following the path of Buddha. Buddhism was founded by Buddha in India at around 500 B.C. The holy man was born in the southwestern region of Nepal. But he spent most of his life in India where several sacred places in the norther and eastern regions are linked to him.

It must be noted that India has failed to attract many visitors due to problems of transportation, inadequacy of hotels, and airline connections. Yet the Indian government hopes to change the country's image during the celebration. India has allotted a $1 billion budget for the improvement of roads and hotels close to Buddhist places like Bodh, Nalanda, Rajgir, and Gaya.

Way to Go Team Spirit

Last June 9th, a novel soccer ball has caught the attention of the 2006 World Cup enthusiasts. The said soccer ball is called "+Teamgeist," which is the German word for team spirit. Incidentally, the World Cup for this year is taking place at Germany.

You might ask what is so special about this +Teamgeist. Well, suffice it to say that the World Cup is out with the old and in with the new. You still don't get, do you? Okay. Let me explain. For the previous years, the soccer ball used to sport 32 panels. However, this cool soccer ball, which is designed by Adidas, only has 14 panels. Wouldn't you agree that the day Teamgeist was utilized is a day to mark history? According to Adidas, the Teamgeist is to be considered as the roundest and most advanced ball that has graced the history of soccer. Famous soccer celebrities and soccer officials have given their two-thumbs up for the Teamgeist. However, there are still those who are skeptical. These critics believe that the +Teamgeist is too light. They foresee that soccer players will have difficulty in handling the ball.

Well, it seems to me that we have to keep our lazy behinds glued to the couch and watch just how well this new soccer ball performs in the field. Wouldn't you agree?

China's prime Giant Panda who went under a captive breeding program was introduced to the wild last April 28. Xiang Xiang, four years old, was release in China's Sichuan province that Friday morning. The 80 kilo endangered animal was brought up in the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

Xiang Xiang went under a biosphere training for two years. Through the said program, breeding facilitators hope that he'll be familiar with his natural home and be able to live and survive with other wild animals. The said Panda center which served as a natural comfort haven to more than one hundred pandas aims to increase the population of Giant Pandas of the country through captive breeding. However, representatives of the World Wildlife Fund pointed that it is not the only possible way to conserve Giant Pandas. They suggested that awareness campaign on the protection of the said animals is the most powerful way of their preservation.

Pandas, considered as the most beloved endangered mammal is vulnerable to hunters and other predators, despite their size. Statistics show that there are only less then two thousand of them in the natural forests today. To monitor Xiang Xiang and protect him from possible danger, a tracking gadget was attached to the collar fitted on him.

Semir Osmanagic, an amateur archeologist and a native of Bosnia said that his team found huge portions of cut stone on a hillside last April that was said to surface the outer layer of a historic pyramid in Visoko, Bosnia. The finding started on the six-month mining on the site. Osmanagic said that the discovery is a proof of the theory that a 220 meter pyramid was built there by prehistoric people 120 centuries ago.

A pyramid is a massive monument of ancient Egypt having a rectangular base and four triangular faces culminating in a single apex, built over or around a crypt or tomb. Pyramids due to the mysteries that lay beneath them became a favorite topic in movies, books, and Xbox or PC games. In pursuit of his theory, Osmanagic's team together with rescue workers and other geologists began investigating a tunnel within the 650 meter eminence. Reports also said that Egyptian experts and scientists will join the team next month.

On a related story, archeologists in Mexico found a colossal, 15-century-old pyramid in the edge of Mexico City. It was unearthed underneath the site that is currently used for the reenactment of Christ's Crucifixion during the Lenten Season. The said pyramid stands 18 meters in height and 152 meters on each side.

Mount Everest, the world's highest peak was reported to be conquered by a Filipino this year. Romi Garduce, determined to place the Philippine flag on the roof of the world, trained hard in the Philippine terrain few years ago for the upcoming test. He left for the said event on March 3, and is scheduled to come back after the successful mission on May 15 to May 29. Everest experts forecast the said event to be an extremely difficult challenge for the citizen of a nation belonging to the Third World.

Everest, 29,035 feet high, is found in the Annapurna range at the western part of Kathmandu, Nepal. It was named after Sir George Everest, the British surveyor-general from the land of India who first recorded its height and location. Reaching its summit might bring glory to the said country, but we don't know what lies beyond its mysterious alps. The said expedition received the full support of the Philippine government, media, and celebrities before he set off for the journey.

Aside from Garduce, another team, dubbed as the 1st Philippine Everest Expedition will be climbing the mountain on May next year. Various reports said that the well-funded team of the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines is busy preparing for the mission and they are practicing their mountaineering drills on difficult steeps of the said country.

As with so many important places in the world, environmental issues are also at stake. The Dead Sea, the saltiest and most mineral-laden lake in the world, had been declared as the world's most threatened lake of 2006 by the Global Nature Fund. If you're going to have a trip into the depths of the lake, your passage would be accompanied by representatives of Friends of the Earth Middle East as well as some medical experts and historians.

The Dead Sea is situated in the Dead Sea Rift, which is a part of a wide crevice in the Earth's surface named the Great Rift Valley which extends from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey to the Zambezi Valley in Southern Africa. It was known as the lowest exposed point on the earth's surface with an elevation of 418 meters below sea level as of this year. Considered as the largest "Natural Spa" in the world, the lake is also famous for its thermo-mineral springs and mineral black mud that was reported to possess wonderful curing properties.

The lake was reported to be rapidly shrinking due to the distraction of incoming water. Details on the report said that it fell 21 meters amid the years 1930 and 1997. To save the historical lake from disappearing, Israel, Palestinian and Jordan authorities signed an agreement last year to conduct researches on a scheme that would require for the creation of 550 megawatts of electricity and 870 million cubic meters of fresh water.

"We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected." Thus are the words of the late President Grover Cleveland in his speech after receiving the statue in behalf of America. The splendid Statue of Liberty that stands magnificently on the 12 acre Liberty Island in the New York Harbor is actually a gift that symbolizes international cooperation and friendship, democracy and political freedom from the French to the citizens of the United States of America. The 305 ft. monument was inaugurated on October 28, 1886 and named as a National Monument last October 15, 1924

It was Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi who designed it in the year 1876. As a shared effort between France and America, they've agreed that France was commissioned for the Statue while America will be responsible in building its pedestal. Scarcity of funds became a problem for both countries in building the historical monument. Joseph Pulitzer, noted for the Pulitzer prize help raise funds for the pedestal through his newspaper. While Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the designer of Eiffel Tower designed its skeletal framework.

The 25 windows in its crown signify the gemstones found on earth and the heaven's rays. The seven rays of the Statue's crown symbolize the seven seas and continents of the world. The tablet in her left hand reads "July 4th, 1776." Foreign or local tourists visiting New York never missed the chance of taking a glimpse of Liberty. For them, gazing at the marvelous structure is like reminiscing the bonds of friendship of both countries.

The history of the African American people is a story of suffering, struggle and triumph over the evils of racial bigotry. Their story is comparable to the biblical story of Jewish bondage in Egypt.

Recently, the Smithsonian Institution decided to recognize the long struggle to freedom of the African American people by deciding to erect a national museum. The large national museum will be dedicated to the history of the African American. The museum will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., just adjacent to the Washington Monument. The new national museum will have a 31,500 square meters of building floor area.

Korea is a country that is influenced mainly by the Chinese. Kingdoms rose and fell, but the effects of neighborly occupations among the Koreans are still very much evident today. However in the early 1870s, Japan annexed Korea through the Japan-Korea annexation Treaty.

The influence of the Japanese has then proliferated, from the Shinto shrines to language replacement and to the change in family names. This occupation saw its end in 1945, when during World War II the Allies defeated Japan.

Romania has a special place in my heart. It will always remind me of fictional vampires and Alexandru and Vasile (who were the only Romanian poets that I know). Romania used to be called Rumania, purchases on leu, and will join the European Union on 2007. The Romania that we know today has a fascinating and long history, being located in a pivotal place in the heart of Europe.

Romania has a long history of conquest and occupation by many rulers and tribes that have set up their own kingdoms, notably Darius and Stephen the Great. It has participated in World War 2 against the defeat of the Germans and has undergone Communist government. Today, Romania is a democratic republic, divided into 41 counties with Bucharest as the capital.