The Empire State Building – A New York and American Icon

Ninety-five years ago, on May 1, 1931, the iconic symbol of New York’s financial might, Empire State Building opened.  Conceived of and announced just prior to the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the building was meant to symbolize the financial might and ingenuity of the United States as it neared the end of the roaring twenties. […]

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April 23rd is a cultural two for one hit in England!

St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday  On 23 April each year, England celebrates its patron saint, Saint George, a figure whose story blends legend and history. Believed to have lived in the 3rd century in what is now Turkey, George was a Roman soldier who refused to give up his Christian faith and was executed for it. Over […]

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Collection Spotlight: Touring Club Italiano

For more than 125 years, the Touring Club Italiano historical archive has reflected the perspective of Italians learning about their country and its vibrant culture through tourism.  Touring Club Italiano (TCI) was founded in Milan in 1894 to promote tourism across Italy.  The archive developed over time from photographs provided by the Club’s members. Now, […]

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The Publishing Nuns

By Francesca Lungarotti UIG contributing photographer, Giovanni Mereghetti, has traveled the world and his vast archives include photo reportages of many interesting and curious stories, including his photographs of the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto, working and managing the activities of the publishing house now called Mimep Docete in Pessano con Bornago, […]

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Tickets please

Sit back and enjoy the heyday of cinema and going to watch a film. This week on April 2nd over 120 years ago in 1902, Tally’s Electric Theater opened – it was the first permanent movie theater in Los Angeles, with the Hollywood district of the city soon to become central to film-making and cinema around […]

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Women ‘March’ing into STEM

Encouraging young girls to pursue careers in STEM fields March is Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, started by the Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Network, founded in 1974 in USA. The initiative is all about helping young girls develop more interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) throughout their educational careers. The […]

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America’s Rivers

The US Geological Survey estimates there are 250,000 rivers across the United States.  These rivers travel more than 3.5 million miles through the continental USA, Alaska and Hawaii. More than 80% of Americans live within a mile of these rivers, which are used for irrigation, transportation, drinking water, electrical power, recreation and other purposes.  Many […]

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Finnish Art: The Brothers von Wright in between Art and Science

By Francesca Lungarotti ‘Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary’ Blaise Pascal Magnus, Wilhelm, and Ferdinand von Wright are key figures in the history of science and culture in 19th-century Finland and Sweden, and are deeply rooted in the Finnish national imagination. They are sometimes considered the same person, although […]

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Collection Spotlight: Sovfoto/Eastfoto

UIG contributing partner Sovfoto/Eastfoto has long been considered one of the West’s most comprehensive sources of historical and documentary photography from Russia, the former Soviet Republics, Eastern Europe, and China.  The extensive archive covers historical events and notable people, cultural heritage, industry, geography and political content from the Russian Revolution through the fall of the Berlin […]

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Ellis Island, The Immigrant’s Gateway to America

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”.  So reads the inscription on the Statue of Liberty from Emma Lazarus’ 1883 sonnet “The New Colossus”. While Lady Liberty […]

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