Monday 29 August 2016

50. Vienna, Austria

Birthplace of the snow globe. Early versions first appeared at the 1878 world's fair in Paris, 11 years before another world's fair for which the Eiffel Tower was built. However, the invention of the modern snow globe is credited to Vienna's Erwin Perzy in 1900. Snow globes have continuously been produced at his factory, the Original Wiener Schneekugelmanufaktur, ever since. 🔮

Monday 22 August 2016

49. Cozumel, Mexico

An island off the Yucatán Peninsula inhabited by the Maya for 2,000 years. Notable Mayan inventions include the only pre-Columbian writing system in the Americas, accurate charts of future solar and lunar eclipses, and chewing gum.

Sunday 21 August 2016

48. Jeita, Lebanon

Best known for Jeita Grotto, a system of two limestone caves near Beirut. The lower cave is the longest in Western Asia, whilst the upper cave contains the world's largest known stalactite.

Monday 15 August 2016

47. Los Angeles, United States

A great place to find stars. Another place to look for stars is California's Lick Observatory, named after chocolate entrepreneur James Lick. California's richest person at the time, Lick planned to build the world's largest pyramid in San Francisco, but ultimately left his fortune to good causes. These included the Lick Old Ladies' Home (later renamed), and the observatory, who used their inheritance to build the world's largest telescope (a record held for 8 years).

Sunday 14 August 2016

46. Sofia, Bulgaria

The largest city in Europe adjacent to a mountain. Bulgaria produces around 85% of the world's rose oil, the most common fragrance in perfumes. 🌹

Saturday 13 August 2016

45. Zagreb, Croatia

Home to more musea per capita than any other major city, including the cheerily themed Museum of Failed Relationships. Croatia's currency, the kuna, is also the Croatian word for marten (a relative of the weasel), due to the value of its fur in medieval times.

Wednesday 3 August 2016

44. Hamburg, Germany

Home of the world's largest miniature railway. The city zoo, Tierpark Hagenbeck, was the world's first zoo without cages. Instead, animals are contained by moats.