Monuments

Top Ten World’s Tallest Statues

The roster of the world's tallest statues is dominated by Buddhist figures, with most of the top ten (actually 11 because of a tie) being representations of the Buddha or Guanyin. While we've looked at Very Large Buddhas twice before…

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Thursday, 24th July 2014

On this day: The Menin Gate Was Unveiled

On July 24, 1927, the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing was unveiled in Ypres, Belgium. The Gate commemorates soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth who were killed in the region during WWI, but whose graves are unknown.

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Thursday, 24th July 2014

On this day: W.B. Yeats Was Born

On June 13, 1865, Irish poet W.B. Yeats was born in Dublin. His family soon relocated to Sligo, where he is honoured with a statue on Stephen Street (at least we think it's him - Google blurred his face for…

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Friday, 13th June 2014

On this day: The Afsluitdijk Opened

On May 28, 1932, the (unpronounceable for those of us outside the Netherlands) Afsluitdijk opened. This 32km (20mile) dike is part of a larger flood-protection scheme. Near the mid point is a monument and viewing tower. On the inland side…

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Wednesday, 28th May 2014

On this day: The Celsius Thermometer was Invented

On May 19, 1743, the first Celsius mercury thermometer design was published by Jean-Pierre Christin. Only a handful of countries still doggedly hold on to the Fahrenheit scale, including the US where the World's Tallest Thermometer is found in Baker,…

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Monday, 19th May 2014

On this day: Florence Nightingale was Born

On May 12, 1820, Florence Nightingale was born in the Italian city which she was named after. Known as 'the lady with the lamp' for her night-time nursing rounds during the Crimean War, there are several statues in her honour,…

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Monday, 12th 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.