According to Korean tradition, Dangun was the mythical founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom that ruled over a territory stretching between the modern-day Liaoning Province in Northeast China and the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula in ancient times. The myth of Dangun first appeared in the 13th-century Samguk Yusa, a historical record that…
Author: Stefano Cammisa
The Whisky War: why Denmark and Canada share a land border
Denmark is a European country located north of Germany, while Canada occupies the northern portion of North America, bordering the United States to the south and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. However, this two countries, that are seemigly so far from each other, share a short land border in the Arctic region…
A day trip from Copenhagen to Malmö and Lund
Copenhagen is a city filled with famous landmarks and interesting attractions, and a tourist could easily spend multiple days visiting it. However, just crossing to the other side of the Øresund strait, the Swedish cities of Malmö and Lund offer many more fascinating sights, and can be visited together in a single day trip from…
The discovery of the outer Solar System: Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and beyond
For millennia the only known celestial objects were those visible to the naked eye. In the Solar System these are limited to the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and some comets and asteroids occasionally passing near our planet. Astronomy was revolutionized in the early seventeenth century, when Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was…
The history of San Marino, the oldest country in the world
More than 1700 years have passed since the year 301, there have been countless invasions, revolutions, and wars, countries have come and gone, empires have risen and fallen, but one thing has remained constant on the ever-changing world map throughout all this period of time: the Republic of San Marino. San Marino is a small…
Saint Martin/Sint Maarten: the Caribbean island divided between France and the Netherlands
The small and beautiful island of Saint Martin, located in the Caribbean, has the peculiarity of being split almost in half between two European countries: France and the Netherlands. The northern side is occupied by the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, while the Dutch side to the south is known as Sint Maarten. The French…
Qixi, Tanabata, Chilseok: the Double Seventh Festival in China, Japan, and Korea
The seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar is celebrated across East Asia as one of the most important festivities of the year, known as Double Seventh Festival. This traditional festival originated in China, where it is known as Qixi, and was later adopted in Japan as Tanabata and in Korea…
The most extreme temperatures ever recorded on Earth
Over the past few decades, extreme weather events have become more and more common all over the world, due to the effects of climate change caused by human activities. Closely linked with the rise of global average temperatures is the increased frequency of heat waves, which have brought record high temperatures in numerous countries. Meanwhile…
The most remote island in the world: Bouvet Island
Deep in the South Atlantic Ocean, thousands of kilometers away from any settlement, lies the most remote island in the world: Bouvet Island. This small and icy uninhabited island is a nature reserve and a dependency of Norway, despite being located 12,500 km away from the Norwegian mainland. Few people have set foot on this…
The history of Attila, King of the Huns
A legendary figure in European history, Attila was one of the most feared enemies of the Romans and, during his prime, he ranked among the most powerful sovereigns in the world. Attila was the King of the Huns when they were at the peak of their strength, ruling over a territory that extended from the…