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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Cedar Avenue of Nikkō in Nikko, Japan
Despite not being a single continuous road, the Cedar Avenue of Nikkō is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest tree-lined avenue in the world. It’s also the only cultural property designated by the Japanese government as both a Special Historic Site and a Special Natural Monument. After the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, the grand Nikkō Tōshōgū shrine was established to entomb his remains. Samurai lords from across the country traveled to...

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The Flamingo House in Round Rock, Texas
Named for the pink lawn ornaments that make up the exhibit, the Flamingo House is open to the public and is a continuously rotating outdoor display of flamingos in a suburb of Austin, Texas. The owners invite visitors to wander amongst the various displays located on their front lawn.  Created in March of 2020, the original purpose of the Flamingo House was to provide neighbors with something to lighten their spirits during the global Covid-19 pandemic. After an immensely...

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Luisenfriedhof II in Berlin, Germany
Luisenfriedhof II is one of the oldest cemeteries in Berlin and was opened in 1867. It’s known as a cemetery of epidemics and is historically connected with the cholera epidemic that hit Berlin-Charlottenburg in 1831. The area is based in the middle of urban structures, but still offers the feeling of a green oasis. Whoever passes the gate will discover architectural highlights, intoxicating nature, and graves of well-known personalities. A few of the cemeteries permanent residents are Wilhelm von...

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Poverty Point World Heritage Site in Pioneer,...
One of the world’s most unique and historically significant landmarks can be found tucked away in the northeastern region of Louisiana. Poverty Point was settled by indigenous peoples more than 3,000 years ago over a period of 600 years. Characterized by earthen mounds oriented in a concentric half-circle formation, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was once a major cultural center It’s believed to have been home to hundreds, or perhaps thousands of residents by some archaeological estimates. At its...

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Sharp’s Island in Richmond, Virginia
Geology, history, recreation, public art, and natural wonder can all found on an acre of granite and sand known as Sharp’s Island. The Piedmont meets the Coastal Plain along the James River, with north-south rapids bisecting the island. The area makes for amazing fishing, especially during the spring. Members of the Sharp family lived on the island in a two-story house for 75 years before the home was washed away by a flood. Visitors can boat up to the...

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Wainwright State Office Building in St. Louis,...
When the Wainwright State Office Building was completed in 1891, it towered ten floors over the city of St. Louis and won the praise of critics and passersby alike. The exterior of the building is composed of terra cotta. The design was the brainchild of  Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan. Commissioned by Ellis Wainwright, who was a St. Lous brewer,  the building was designed as an office space. A major aspect of the building is that it was one of the first skyscrapers...

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Bury Ditches in Lydbury North, England
Until 1976, the extent of this Iron Age hill fort at the summit of Sunnyhill near Clun in Shropshire, England was unknown. When a massive storm in 1976 removed many of the trees at the summit, the importance of the site was revealed. Multiple rings of ditches and embankments were revealed and heightened the historic significance of the fort. Another storm during the 1980s unearthed more of the fort’s remains.  The site was created during the first millennium CE....

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‘Out of Order’ in London, England
A stroll through the historic town of Kingston upon Thames, now part of London, may lead curious visitors to a dozen phone boxes leaning against one another like a set of dominoes.  This art installation is known as “Out of Order” by David Mach and was installed in 1989. While it’s not quite as iconic as its inspiration, the red telephone box designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, this public art installation has since become one of Kingston’s most iconic...

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‘The Minotaur’ in Lille, France
Edouard Pignon was a French painter whose artwork explored interwoven subjects such as the working class, boat-sails, tree trunks, and the horrors of war. Many of his works are considered commentaries on social and political issues. A close friend of painter Pablo Picasso, Pignon frequently exhibited his work in France and abroad. In 1976 in the city of Lille near the Belgian Border, he created a monumental mural composed of ceramics entitled, “The Minotaur.” The work of art was...

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Door Knocker in Edinburgh, Scotland
The Old and New Town districts of Edinburgh are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As of 2020, they are two of 27 cultural areas in Great Britain to be given this honor. The city was bestowed with this significant distinction in 1995. It’s not surprising that millions of visitors flock here every year to wander the cobblestone streets of Scotland‘s capital. Visitors are treated to many sights as they wander this living museum of a metropolis. From the...

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Collinsworth Cemetery in Plano, Texas
In 1895, the Collinsworth family of Plano, Texas hosted a traveling salesman in their home. He left the next morning after mentioning he felt unwell. Unfortunately, the salesman was ill with smallpox and infected the family with the disease. First, one of the daughters fell ill and died, then more family members succumb to the disease. Although medical help was sought early, doctors did not have the knowledge to treat the affliction.  A cemetery was created on the farm...

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Mausoleum of Augustus in Rome, Italy
The first Roman emperor, Augustus, began construction on his mausoleum soon after returning from Egypt in 28 BCE. The tomb was crafted with a circular plan that may have been inspired by Hellenistic mausoleums such as the tomb of Alexander the Great. The structure, located in the center of Rome near the Tiber river, consists of various concentric rings and was originally topped by a conical roof and possibly a statue of Augustus. Two obelisks once guarded the entrance...

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Ashikaga School in Ashikaga, Japan
Originally founded during the late 12th-century by samurai lord Ashikaga Yoshikane (or during the first half of the 9th-century according to some sources), the Ashikaga School is the oldest academic institution in Japan. Students came from across the country, even from the Ryukyu Kingdom to study Confucianism, I Ching, Chinese medicine, and strategics. Although the school’s teachers largely consisted of Buddhist monks, it was unusual in that it lacked Buddhist studies in its curriculum, unlike other academic institutions of...

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Surrey Dive in Box Hill, Australia
Surrey Dive is a deep waterhole that was transformed into Australia‘s first swimming venue to meet Olympic standards during the early 20th-century. It became known as one of the premier swimming venues the country. Melbourne was once home to over 50 brickworks located around the city. Many were clustered around certain locations due to the type of soil present. The Box Hill Brickworks opened during the 1880s and began excavating clay from a nearby hole. After the site was...

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The Allaire Dinosaurs in Allenwood, New Jersey
Nestled within Allaire State Park visitors will find the work of Robin Ruggiero, a New Jersey-based artist who has been using these woods as both her canvas and medium since 2019. Although first working in anonymity, her growth in popularity and increased visitation to the site soon brought the creator’s identity to light. Ruggiero’s work began with a series of huts and witchy symbols before expanding to include a colony of dinosaurs. A Tyrannosaurus Rex first appeared, later joined...

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