When the USSR had learned that it would be hosting the summer Olympics in 1980 the excitement was palpable. Reconstruction of older facilities was taking place, trash was being clean up off of the streets, new and beautiful trees and other foliage were being planted and an Olympic Village was even being constructed. This village would […]
Week 9 Posts
Around the World in 0.075 Days
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When many are young they look up at the sky in hops of one day becoming an astronaut, but for Yuri Gagarin that dream started when a plane crash near his house. After that fateful day he would peruse a career in flying. He would first join the flying club near his home, then […]
Week 8 Posts
Peeking under the Iron Curtain
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The year is 1957 and the cold War is in full swing, but the streets of Moscow are filled with smiling foreigners and extremely intrigued Muscovites. This is thanks to Nikki Khrushchev’s “thaw” which allowed for the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students to be held in the city of Moscow. Excitement for this event didn’t begin during […]
Week 6 Posts
They think they can, They think they can
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In the 1930’s there weren’t areas that the people of the Soviet Union could use to compete with the rest of the world. They didn’t have the tallest buildings, the largest damns, their people didn’t have the best living standards, but they did have one of the best metros in the world. A metro that […]
Week 4 Posts
Let there be light…eventually
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The first power station in Russia was built in 1876 and in 1879, “electric street lighting was installed on Alexander II Bridge”. In 1881 electric lighting was finally installed in Moscow and in the 1890s tram ways were also added to the city. Although, after that not much happened in the way of electricity in […]
Week 2 Posts
The Final Crack That Broke The Dam
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The revolution of 1905 was years in the making and sprouted out of social unrest from the poorest of people. The peasant having just been allotted land had to pay taxes on it in order to pay it off making there hardship even worse. Famine was also present during the time period making many starve. […]
Week 1 Posts
Stolbny Island
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This picture, taken in 1910 by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, shows the Nilova Pustyn Monastery located on Stolbny Island. The Island was settled in 1628 by Nil Selbensky after he was instructed in a dream to do so. There are also many other churches and cathedrals on the Island including the Vsekhsvyatitelskaya built in 1701, the Nil […]
