France

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…

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…

On May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic and winning the $25,000 Orteig prize. Although six aviators had previously died trying to win the prize, Lindbergh…

On May 8, 1902, Martinique's Mount Pelée erupted. The lava flow from the volcano completely destroyed the town of St. Pierre, killing almost all of its 30,000 inhabitants.

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.…

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…