Europe

On this day: Mont Blanc Tunnel Opened

On July 16, 1965, the Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy opened. Following 8 years of construction, the 11.6km (7.2mile) tunnel significantly reduced driving times between France and northern Italian cities. A deadly 1999 fire closed the tunnel for…

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Wednesday, 16th July 2014

On this day: Inigo Jones Was Born

On July 15, 1573, British architect Inigo Jones was born. He had parallel careers in theatrical staging and architecture, with the latter producing many notable buildings around London. One fine example is the Banqueting House in Whitehall, the first neo-classical…

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Tuesday, 15th July 2014

On this day: St Mark’s Campanile Collapsed

On July 14, 1902, after a couple of weeks of ominous cracking, St Mark's Campanile in Venice collapsed. Apparently the caretaker's cat was the only victim of the building's failure. Council swiftly approved funds to rebuild the tower, which opened…

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Monday, 14th July 2014

On this day: The First Wimbledon Championship

Strawberries and cream, anyone? The first Wimbledon Tennis Championship began on this day in 1877, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Twenty two players took part, with Spencer Gore becoming the winner ten days later, winning a…

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Wednesday, 9th July 2014

On this day: The Battle of Berne

On June 27, 1954, a World Cup Quarter Final game between Hungary and Brazil turned ugly with increasingly aggressive play leading to several fights during the game. The last minutes are described as a "running battle" and violence involving players,…

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Friday, 27th June 2014

Google Tower View

Perhaps skip reading this post if you don't have a head for heights - today we're heading up to look at the scenery from a few observation towers that have been visited by Google's Street View cameras1. First up, the…

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Thursday, 26th June 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.