Buildings

On this day: The City of Las Vegas was Founded

On May 15, 1905, the city of Las Vegas was founded with the auction of half a square kilometre of land owned by the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. Initially a pioneer stopover, the first casinos in…

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Thursday, 15th May 2014

On this day: Construction Started on Delhi’s Red Fort

On May 13, 1638, construction began on Delhi's Red Fort. After completion 10 years later the fort served as the residence of the Mughal emperors for a couple of centuries. These days the main residents are a flock of green…

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Tuesday, 13th May 2014

On this day: Lincoln Cathedral was Consecrated

On or around May 9, 1092, Lincoln Cathedral was consecrated (dates from almost a millennium ago are a bit vague). After spending 4 years overseeing its construction, Bishop Remigius died two days before the consecration. It suffered through fires and…

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Friday, 9th May 2014

The contradictory position of satellite censorship

In the early days of online mapping, sensitive locations were often censored for security reasons. Examples include military installations, government buildings, royal residences, prisons, power plants and more. However in many cases blurring happened on one service but not another.…

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Thursday, 8th May 2014

On this day: The Palace of Versailles was Inaugurated

On May 7, 1664, the Palace of Versailles was inaugurated by King Louis XIV. It served as the centre of political and royal power until the start of the revolution in 1789. Given how opulent it is, and the living…

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Wednesday, 7th May 2014

On this day: The Empire State Building was dedicated

On May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building was dedicated. The 103-storey skyscraper was the tallest building in the world - a record it held for almost 40 years. President Herbert Hoover turned on the building's lights with the push…

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Thursday, 1st May 2014

Welcome to Google Sightseeing!

Google Sightseeing takes you on a tour of the world as seen from satellite or street views using Google Maps. Our team of authors present weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

Like this site? We published a photo book of the best entries, you should buy a copy.