Author: Karel

After a failed attempt to build a canal by the French in 1881-1894 (by Ferdinand de Lesseps who built the Suez canal) it was the USA who acquired the French assets in 1904 and finished the Panama Canal in 1914.

Currently there is an expansion program under construction, with a new set of locks which will allow larger ships into the canal. These locks are expected to open in 2016

Those who took the shortcut

• Garfield
• Paul Voestermans
• Walter_V_R
• hhgygy
• Eloy Cano
• Lighthouse
• Phil Ower
• steve willis
• krenek
• mehmet durmus
• R Hays
• Bill Close
• donaaronio
• adel
• Steve Jaycocks

– Hint –

• Dennis S.
• Gillian B
• Mik
• Paul Franson
• Chris Nason
• Marcel
• steven simmons
• Luís Filipe Miguel
• Cloudspotter
• rob de wolff
• Ashwini Agrawal

Celebrated its 100th birthday

Peenemünde is the birthplace of the German rocket technology.
This is the place where the V1 and V2 weaponry was developed.

Once a small fishing village, the Germans built a few large testsites at the north of the peninsula and a huge power station and launch control bunker at the village’s harbor.

At the end of the war, the German engineers were ‘divided’ between the allied countries and Werner von Braun came in charge of the American space program.

Those who fired a rocket:

• Eloy Cano
• Walter_V_R
• hhgygy
• Paul Voestermans
• krenek
• Garfield
• Lighthouse
• mehmet durmus

– Hint –

• Phil Ower
• LawnBoy
• R Hays
• Bill Close
• rob de wolff
• Cloudspotter

This is the birthplace of contest #34 and #43

The area around the Spratly Islands in the South Chinese Sea is a disputed area.
It is controlled by the Chinese, in fact the Chinese are currently building artificial islands here, but the ownership is also claimed by various other countries: Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Those who reclaimed their own island:

• Garfield
• Walter_V_R
• Lighthouse
• Paul Voestermans
• steve willis
• hhgygy
• mehmet durmus
• Phil Ower
• krenek
• Eloy Cano

– Hint –

• Ashwini Agrawal
• Chris Nason

Is this a potential new conflict area?

Kisimul Castle is a small medieval castle located on a small island off Castlebay, Barra, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It gets its name from the Gaelic cìosamul meaning “castle island”

It was abandoned in 1838, but nowadays it is leased by Historic Scotland for an annual rent of £ 1,- plus a bottle of whisky

Right answers from:

• hhgygy
• Garfield
• Lighthouse
• Walter_V_R
• Phil Ower
• Paul Voestermans
• steve willis
• Eloy Cano
• Ozgur ONGOCMEN
• krenek
• mehmet durmus

– Hint –

• Chris Nason