MET Column | My Eyes Tokyo

Happy Birthday to Tunisia!

2019-03-20

Tunis, the capital and the largest city of Tunisia. *Photo from Wikipedia March 20 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tunisia from France in 1956. In ancient times, Tunisia was primarily inhabited by Berbers. Phoenician immigration began in the 12th century BC; these immigrants founded Carthage. A major mercantile power and a military rival of the Roman Republic, Carthage was defeated by the Romans in 146 BC. The Romans, who would occupy Tunisia for most of the next eight hundred years, introduced Christianity and left architectural legacies. After several attempts starting in 647, the Arabs conquered the whole of

Happy Birthday to Mauritius!

2019-03-12

Port-Louis, the Capital of Mauritius. *Photo from Wikipedia March 12 is National Day, celebrates the independence of Mauritius from the UK in 1968. The island of Mauritius was visited during the Middle Ages by the Arabs and then by the Portuguese. The island was uninhabited until the Dutch Republic established a colony in 1638, with the Dutch naming the island after Prince Maurice van Nassau. The Dutch colony was abandoned in 1710, and, five years later, the island became a French colony and was named Isle de France. Due to its strategic position, Mauritius was known as the “star and

Happy Birthday to Lithuania!

2019-03-11

On January 13, 1991, Soviets began shooting and crushing with tanks unarmed independence supporters. *Photo from Wikipedia March 11 is the Day of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania from the Soviet Union in 1990. As Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to revive the economy of the Soviet Union, he introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). Gorbachev´s political agenda went for great and deep changes within the Soviet government, as such, Gorvachev invited the soviet public into open and public discussions unseen before. For the soviet Lithuanian dissidents, and activists, it was a golden opportunity not to be missed, to bring their movements

Happy Birthday to Ghana!

2019-03-06

Traditional chiefs in Ghana in 2015. *Photo from Wikipedia March 6 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Ghana from the UK in 1957. The territory of present-day Ghana has been inhabited for millennia, with the first permanent state dating back to the 11th century. Numerous kingdoms and empires emerged over the centuries, of which the most powerful was the Kingdom of Ashanti. Beginning in the 15th century, numerous European powers contested the area for trading rights, with the British ultimately establishing control of the coast by the late 19th century. Following over a century of native resistance, Ghana’s current

Happy Birthday to Bulgaria!

2019-03-03

Vitosha Boulevard, the main commercial street in the center of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. *Photo from Wikipedia March 3 is Bulgaria’s Liberation Day. The Liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state under the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878. The treaty forced the Ottoman Empire give back to Bulgaria most of its territory conquered in 14th century. The emergence of a unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD, which dominated most of the

Happy Birthday to Bosnia and Herzegovina!

2019-03-01

Bosnian meat platter *Photo from Wikipedia March 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. Christianity arrived in the 1st century, and by the 4th century the area became part of the Western Roman Empire. Germanic tribes invaded soon after, followed by Slavs in the 6th Century. In 1136, Béla II of Hungary invaded Bosnia and created the title “Ban of Bosnia” as an honorary title for his son Ladislaus II of Hungary. During this time, Bosnia became virtually autonomous, and was eventually proclaimed a kingdom in 1377. The

Happy Birthday to Dominican Republic!

2019-02-27

Dominican kids taking classes. *Photo from Wikipedia February 27 is Independence Day, celebrates the first independence of Dominican Republic from Haiti in 1844. Christopher Columbus landed on the Western part of Hispaniola, in what is now Haiti, on December 6, 1492. The island became the first seat of the Spanish colonial rule in the New World. The Dominican people declared independence in November 1821 but were forcefully annexed by their more powerful neighbor Haiti in February 1822. In 1844, Dominican independence was proclaimed and the republic, which was often known as Santo Domingo until the early 20th century, maintained its

Happy Kuwait’s National Day!

2019-02-25

Kuwait Water Towers in Kuwait City, the capital and largest city of Kuwait. *Photo from Wikipedia February 25 is Kuwait’s National Day. Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah’s reign was so central to the evolution of modern Kuwait that when he died in 1965, the date on which he had ascended the throne in 1950 (February 25) was designated National Day. Abdullah was the 1st Emir of Kuwait. Also the House of Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait. Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in Western Asia. Situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip

Happy Birthday to Estonia!

2019-02-24

Estonian folk dance group performing. *Photo from Wikipedia February 24 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Estonia from the Russian Empire in 1918. Following centuries of successive Teutonic, Danish, Swedish, and Russian rule, Estonians experienced a national awakening that culminated in independence from the Russian Empire towards the end of World War I. In the aftermath of World War I and the Russian revolutions, the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued in February 1918. The Estonian War of Independence ensued on two fronts between the newly proclaimed state and Bolshevist Russia to the east and the Baltic German forces

Happy Birthday to Brunei!

2019-02-23

Bandar Seri Begawan (formerly known as Brunei Town), the capital city of Brunei. *Photo from Wikipedia February 23 is National Day of Brunei, which remarks the Independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. (*Its actual independence day is January 1) At the peak of the Bruneian Empire, Sultan Bolkiah is alleged to have had control over most regions of Borneo. The maritime state was visited by Spain’s Magellan Expedition in 1521 and fought against Spain in 1578’s Castille War. During the 19th century, the Bruneian Empire began to decline. The Sultanate ceded Sarawak (Kuching) to James Brooke and installed him

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