Simon's Time Travel adventures (featuring the Tardis and DeLorean)

Hi #Treksters
In honour of the 30th Anniversary of Back To The Future this year, and because we also had the celebrations surrounding the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who two years ago with The Day of The Doctor.

I thought it was about time for me to release a new blog post for you to read through. Which (as you can tell from the title) is quite fitting!
So flicking through my list of ideas, I've decided to revisit one of my favourite interests history and time travel!!!

As (in this blog post) I will be talking you through all the times and places I would really love to visit if I had access to a time machine like The Doctor's Tardis (Doctor Who) or Doc Brown's Time Travelling DeLorean (Back To The Future trilogy).

Obviously because I'm dealing with Time Travel, I will be following some 'Time Traveller's Guidelines" (similar to these).
So that I can witness events without irritably changing the timeline.

Because I don't particularly want to get visited by Mulder & Scully's descendants from the Starfleet Department of Temporal Investigations, after my travels!
This is because I don't want to accidently cause a 'Butterfly effect' scenario or a 'Grandfather paradox'.
So as a precautionary measure, I'm going to exclude any historical event concerning my home county of Essex in this blog post.

 

On top of that I'm also going to say that in each situation I'm going to have access to period specific costumes, and access to the correct currency.
As that way my contamination of the timeline will be minimal...and I can still enjoy myself while I'm there!!!

Now that I've got all out of the way, I think it's about time I input my first temporal coordinates...

The White Star Dock (Berth 44), Southampton United Kingdom 11:45am 10th April 1912

  

 

The first place I would like to visit will seem very familiar to all of you avid #Trekster readers out there....as I'd want to see the RMS Titanic!

Unusually for me, I've actually come up with a couple of suggestions on how I'd do it. But as you'll see the first one is quite a safe option...whereas the second way definitely wouldn't be.

Anyone who reads my blog posts on a regular basis, will notice straight away that I don't usually writing down an unsafe idea.
As it's not very me...but I think that Jamie 'influenced' me when I was talking to Jamie on the phone about it. Because he thought it was a good idea! #JamieBadInfluence

 

Idea one

 



The first (safe) idea is that I would Ideally like to 'blend' into the dockside crowd (with the help of a period costume) watching the (RMS) Titanic steaming away, as it leaves Southampton on it's maiden voyage.

I think this is a moment I'd love to witness, seeing the 'hustle and bustle' of the people going about their way racing to get on-board.
With all that going on it would make it a very celebratory environment to be apart of!

Idea two

The second (risky) idea is that I would board the ship at Southampton (on the 10th April 1912), most likely as a 1st Class passenger. Before disembarking at Cobh (Queenstown), which was Titanic's final destination before New York on the morning of the 11th April 1912.
That way I could then enjoy staying on-board the ship, whilst generally experiencing the ambiance of life on-board ship.
Obviously this would be amazing....but the chances of changing history (and contaminating the timeline) would be huge.

Although I would enjoy the excitement of witnessing the event (either way) I would also be filled with mixed emotions...know the ships ultimate fate.
Making it feel deeply sobering for me, whilst simultaneously also making me feel 'good' knowing that huge advances in marine safety that would come out of the disaster.
It would also make me think that we take modern day marine safety for granted these days!

I input my second temporal coordinates...

Moving forward 54 years to

 

The Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel, Cleveland United States of America 1st-5th September 1966

 

The second place I would like to visit is somewhere else, which will be no great surprise to any of you...as I've chosen a Star Trek convention!

But this is no ordinary Star Trek convention, as the 24th Tricon World Science Fiction Convention was the first official convention for the franchise.

Again this is somewhere else I could 'blend' into the crowd seamlessly (and easily due to my extensive Star Trek wardrobe).

This is something I would love to attend, knowing the significance (and history) Star Trek would go on to have in the decades to follow...and the impact it will have on so many peoples lives (including myself)!
It would also be amazing meeting 'The Great Bird of the Galaxy' Gene Roddenberry, as that is something I would have loved to have done.
To make the convention even better he promoted the first two pilots of Star Trek: The Original Series(uncut version of "The Cage" and "Where No Man has Gone Before") before they aired!
Can you imagine that?!

Being one of a few hundred people watching Star Trek for the first time...and afterwards getting to hear Gene Roddenberry's thoughts and feelings on the pilots.
Making it an amazing few days in the history of the franchise we all love, which is something I would like to be apart of!

With that in mind I don't think there's nothing else I can really say apart from...there is no better way to live and breathe Star Trek for 120 hours straight!!!

 

 

I input my third (and final) temporal coordinates...

 

Moving forward another 3 years to

 

Kennedy Space Centre, Florida United States of America 19th-22nd July 1969

 

  

The third place I would like to visit is one of (if not) the greatest human achievement ever. So much so that I've already spoken about it in a previous blog post.
Obviously I'm talking about witnessing the Apollo 11 Moon landing!

 

 

This is something I would love to witness from start (launch) to finish (splashdown). As it would be amazing being able to watch the three astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin & Michael Collins) historic progress to the Moon, and their journey safely back to Earth...live (as much as you could back in 1969).

I would so enjoy seeing the massive Saturn V rocket lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre on Wednesday (16th July) at 13:32:00pm (1969-07-16UTC13:32Z) UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

Shaking the ground below it, and starting off the staggering 953,054 miles (1,533,791.737km) roundtrip to the Moon!

 

And then being able to keep up with the latest television updates on their slow progress, joining in as the world held it's collective breathe!  

This would then be instantly changed by a feeling of global excitement. Which would slowly grow, as the days slowly tumbled by.

Until Sunday 20th July (Day 4), when the Lunar Module ("Eagle") landed on the Moon at 20:18:04pm UTC.

 

However, it wasn't until 02:56:15am UTC on Day 5 (Monday 21st July) that man actually walked on the moon for first time...and those immortal words were uttered by Neil Armstrong to the estimated 600 million people watching worldwide:

"That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind"

After spending 21 hours, 36 minutes on the moon's surface Armstrong's & Aldrin's work was done. So understandably after a busy day's work, they then slept for a well earned seven hours in the Lunar Module.

They then returned to Lunar orbit after jettisoning the Lunar Module's ("Eagle‍") ascent stage at 23:41pm UTC.
This was then followed by a reunion (via docking) with their colleague Michael Collins (piloting the "Columbia" Command Module).
With all the astronauts back together (and the samples safely on-board), they could now think about completing their mission...and begin their journey back home.

 

After another three days of travelling (Day 8), the "Columbia" Command Module finally splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 16:50:35pm (1969-07-24UTC16:50:36Z) UTC on July 24th 1969. To the relief of millions around the world.

Making U.S. President John F. Kennedy's 'dream' "of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" a reality!

Whilst making the three astronauts who went on this momentous journey heroes across the world!!!




I would really enjoy watching one of the most pivotal (and defining) moments of the 20th Century unfold before my own eyes. As I've always had to settle with hearing about on history programmes (and history books) 'out of context', which really isn't the same.

There's just no real way (or words for that matter)that I can describe to you how much I'd love to see these events happen in real-time!

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog post, and have got you starting to think about all the historical events you'd like to go back and witness....as trust me, you'll have plenty of choice!

Which I found out the hard way researching for this blog post!!! #OverwhelmedTrekkie

 

This is Simon from The Engage Podcast signing out! 

 

Simon: Famous Conspiracy Theories, Myths and Legends

Hi #Treksters, I know it's been a quite awhile since I last wrote a blog post...and we've released our next episode. Before I go any further I just want to explain all the Real Life reasons why this has happened.


Granddad 'Sarge' Eric

Obviously for me personally a large contributing factor for this was the passing away of my Granddad 'Sarge' Eric, which left me feeling very 'lost'.
Another reason why this has happened is that collectively as a group we've got two Weddings coming up...one of which is Phil's Wedding.
Which has taken up a large proportion of Phil's life due to it's subsequent planning.

Along those lines we've also had Phil's Stag Do down in Somerset, all in all giving us little or no time to record any podcasts lately.

So in order to give you your much needed The Engage Podcast Fix I have decided to write a post about a set of topics which both interests me and intrigues me....Conspiracy Theories, Myths and Legends!

In this blog post I will be explaining the Conspiracy Theories surrounding famous events, which may or may not have been staged!
With each event I will be giving my opinion on it's accompanying Conspiracy Theory, Myth or Legend whilst trying to ascertain how plausible they are.
If they are (in my opinion) implausible...then I will rule that they have been debunked.

 

As you'll expect everyone will have they're own opinion on this particular issue, but until a Conspiracy Theory, Myth or Legend is solved or debunked...then I think it's only right to speculate over what the truth is.

The Loch Ness Monster

 

Colonel R. K. Wilson's original picture taken in 1934





The Loch Ness Monster is one of the most famous Myths the world has forever been spellbound by.
"Nessie" as it is more commonly known (since 1940's) is said to be the last of the plesiosaurs, living in the depths of Loch Ness up in Scotland.



A CGI graphic of a Plesiosaur

Although all the evidence for "Nessie's" existence is anecdotal...the monster has been captured over the years in pictures, most famously in 1934. When a Colonel R. K. Wilson took a picture, whilst he was on a family holiday up in Scotland.
So much interest has been created in finding "Nessie" that in 1961 the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau was set up in order to catch glimpses of the Loch Ness Monster. The Myth of "Nessie" has also been responsible for creating a tourist attraction out of just another 'everyday Scottish loch'...giving a welcome boost to the local (and Scottish) economy!

The Myth of a Loch Ness Monster has done a great deal for Scotland, drawing tourists in yearly with the chance to catch of the famous Loch dwelling monster...but I think it is all in vein.



Diagram of the Wilson family hoax model

As the majority of pictures taken of "Nessie" have ended up being hoaxes.
Unfortunately a prime example of this, is most famous picture of them all the 'Wilson picture'...as it turns out that the Wilson family had modified a toy submarine with a model head and rigged it to appear to be a monster (from a distance).

With technology improving all the time, it is getting easier to 'create pictures featuring "Nessie". Giving no believers an argument not to believe in "Nessie's" existence.
The "Nessie" devotees will see it as an advantage because it will give them an opportunity to monitor for "Nessie" around the clock.
Although... 'if' we ever get a 'real' picture of "Nessie" we won't believe due to the cynical and suspicious world we live in. The other issue people will have is the number of fakes surrounding The Loch Ness Monster Myth.
For me, this is a Myth I would love to believe in but...nothing adds up, as the whole Myth sounds like a Fairy Tale!

1. Firstly, how on earth is a Plesiosaur meant to survive for so long without being seen, it's for the better word...impossible!
2. Secondly, A Myth of a prehistoric dinosaur living in a Scottish Loch is too good to be true, making me speculate that the Myth was orchestrated by a cunning Scottish businessman trying to draw up business for the local area through publicity. 
3. Thirdly, shouldn't we (Humans) have killed "Nessie" through Global Warming, or by another indirect way?!

So it's for those reasons why I have to (at least in my mind) debunk this Myth of a Loch Ness Monster.

The Bermuda Triangle 



Bermuda Triangle location map

The Bermuda Triangle is an area of the Atlantic Ocean which is famous for planes and ships vanishing in thin air...eerily never to be seen again!

Although the area of the pheromone varies between 1,300,000 to 3,900,000 km² (500,000 to 1,510,000 square miles) depending on what source you use.

That being said it is widely accepted that it lies between Bermuda (in the North), Miami (in the West) and Puerto Rico (in the South).



Four TBF/TBM Avengers flying in formation

In the air, The Bermuda Triangle is most famous for the loss of Flight 19. A training flight of five TBF/TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared on the 5th of December 1945. After losing radio contact with Fort Lauderdale (their base).

Whilst on the ocean, The Bermuda Triangle is well known for the disappearance of the USS Cyclops (AC-4). Which caused the loss of 309 passengers and crew.



USS Cyclops (AC-4)

Both examples give's you a small impression of just how many countless lives have been lost in one way or another due to The Bermuda Triangle.

There are many different theories for what causes the disappearances in The Bermuda Triangle, ranging from magnetic anomalies to devastating power crystals lying on the seabed.

Many 'solve' either a air disappearance or a sea disappearance...but in my mind (at least) the cause for both air and sea disappearances has to be some overwhelming cause. Which is currently undetectable through current technology.

In my opinion, until we attain the right level of technological development we will never be able to solve the mystery of The Bermuda Triangle.
 

RMS Titanic
 

The RMS Titanic was a 19th Century passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean (south-east of Newfoundland).

On the morning of April 15th 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton (United Kingdom) to New York City (United States) via Cherbourg (France) and Queenstown (Ireland).

It laid undiscovered until a Franco-American expedition led by the noted oceanographer Robert Ballard found the wreck in 1985.

Although Conspiracy Theorists believe that the wreck lying at the bottom of the Atlantic isn't that of the Titanic...but is instead it's (older) sister ship RMS Olympic.

They believe that the ships "swapped identities" after the Olympic collided with a naval vessel (HMS Hawke) on it's fifth voyage (on the 20th September 1911) and had to be taken back to Belfast for repairs. During the same time the Titanic is nearing completion (being outfitted) close to the RMS Olympic.

Giving White Star Line the prefect opportunity to do the worlds largest sleight of hand trick. The only reason they would do this, is because the White Star Line were in financial difficulties at the time.

Leaving White Star Line only one way to survive...insurance fraud.

By switching ships, and by tricking everyone into believing that the damaged Olympic was in fact the Titanic. Meant that they could get a full insurance pay-out for the 'new ships' loss. Solving White Star Line's money woes.
 

For me I think there's points you can believe on both sides. The Conspiracy Theorists have some interesting idea's about what happened...but I think there's no way they (White Star Line) could have kept it secret! Making me think it's a work of fiction.

Although this fiction fits some of the pieces together making it a plausible Conspiracy Theory. Which is why I would recommend watching the documentary above to make up your own mind up about it all!
 

So it's my opinion that it is the RMS Titanic that sunk on the 15th of April 1912. Meaning that I have to debunk this very plausible Conspiracy Theory.

I also think that the story and legacy are more important than the facts and figures behind the events on the Titanic.

Because of this event, worldwide legislation came in making it customary for ships to have enough lifeboats for everyone on board through the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) passed in 1914.

The Titanic (and later SOLAS) lead to the formation of the International Ice Patrol, responsible for monitoring icebergs in the Artic and Oceans and the Atlantic Ocean. After reporting that information onto ships 'for safety purposes'. Which reading between the lines...means minimising the chances of an sinking occurring!



Belfast City Hall RMS Titanic Memorial

That being said, I think that the name of the ship is irrelevant...because whatever the truth is, through either that of design or by an accident.

A White Star Line Olympic class ocean liner is sitting at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean after causing the deaths of 1,500 people. So we need to make sure that we preserve the memory of all the people on board.

Who we should never forget!

The Moon Landings



The last Conspiracy Theory I'm going to discuss is the big one...the Moon Landings from 1969-1972.

On the 20th July 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon....a day later astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (along with Michael Collins up in the Command Module) were the first humans to walk on the Moon.



U.S. President John F. Kennedy giving his speech to the U.S. Congress in 1961

Eight years after U.S. President John F. Kennedy vowed in a U.S. Congress speech that "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth".

Not only did the United States achieve his goal once...but on six separate occasions in a three year period.



Apollo 11 Astronauts (Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong) in a NASA training mock-up of the Moon and Luna Module

Although there are a lot of people out there that believe that man has never stepped on the Moon, as they think it was all staged.

The main points of contention for Conspiracy Theorists are:

1. The lack of stars visible in the Lunar sky.
2. Visible "camera crosshairs".   
3. Aberrant shadows.
4. The Stars and Stripes flag "ruffled" by air currents.

All of the points of contention have logical sound explanations.

1. There is a lack of stars visible in the Lunar sky, because all the Moon landing occurred during the Lunar daytime...making it impossible to see the stars due to the immense power of the sun.
   
   Which meant that their camera's couldn't pick up the stars either, as they were set to a daylight exposure.
2. Visible "camera crosshairs" are a typical sight on the Apollo missions, as the cameras they used had a reseau plate (a clear glass plate with crosshairs etched on).
   Which made it impossible for any photographed object to appear "in front" of the grid. The only way an object would appear "behind" of the grid is in post production. So that it would appear that the Moon landing have been faked.
   This would was quite normal, as people wanted images of the great achievement...but didn't want the "camera crosshairs" spoiling their image. After sometime these 'edited' copies circulated, and became the preferred images of the Apollo missions.
3. Shadows on the Moon are complicated by reflected light, uneven ground, wide-angle lens distortion, and lunar dust.
   Light appears from several different sources: the Sun, sunlight reflected from the Earth, sunlight reflected from the Moon's surface, and sunlight reflected from the astronauts and the Lunar Module.
   Light from these sources is scattered by the lunar dust in many directions...which includes shadows.
   Shadows falling into craters and hills may appear longer, shorter and distorted. Causing shadows to display properties of a vanishing point perspective, making them converge to a point on the horizon.
   This theory (and many others) were famously debunked by MythBusters episode "NASA Moon Landing".
4. 
   The flag was fastened to a Г-shaped rod (called the Lunar Flag Assembly) so that it didn't hang down.
   The flag only seemed to "ruffle" when the astronauts were moving it into position.
   Without air drag, these movements caused the free corner of the flag to swing like a pendulum for some time.
   The flag was rippled because it had been folded during storage, so the ripples could be mistaken for movement in a still photo. Video's have shown that when the astronauts let go of the flagpole vibrated briefly...but then remains still.
   This theory was also debunked on the MythBusters episode "NASA Moon Landing".

To see the logical sound explanations in full please go to:
Moon landing conspiracy theories- The hoax claims

I believe that we have (without a doubt) landed on the Moon between 1969-1972. For another few reasons.
Including, the fact that I don't personally believe that U.S. President John F. Kennedy would condone 'staging' the entire Apollo missions.
Due to the massive undertaking (and loss) in getting humans to our nearest neighbour. You don't build all that infrastructure (including six Saturn V rockets) just for the sake of a conspiracy!


 A picture taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of the Apollo 17 landing site

You've also got to remember that they took an awful lot of equipment up with them...most they would have to leave behind, and as there's a vacuum up there it's going to be just where the astronauts left them during the Apollo missions.


Apollo 11's retroreflector  (with it's protective cover)

Part of that equipment, which can without any doubt prove we've been there six times are the Retroreflectors (mirrors used as targets for Earth-based tracking lasers) from the Laser Ranging Retroreflector Experiment (LRRR).


The United Kingdom's Goodwill Moon rock given in 1970 by U.S. President Richard Nixon

There's also the matter of the Goodwill Moon rocks given to 135 countries and 50 US states in 1970 by U.S. president Richard Nixon. Each Goodwill Moon rock was samples of moon rock obtained during the Apollo 11 mission.
If we are to believe the Conspiracy Theorists that the Apollo missions were faked...then the same would be true with Goodwill Moon rocks.
I know I'm going to exaggerate it here...but do they really want us to believe that they are rocks found at the bottom of the White House garden?! 

I put this to you Conspiracy Theorists directly, isn't it for once nice to believe that those 185 Goodwill Moon rock samples have come the 476,527 miles (766,895.8683km) from the Moon...with the help of human beings?!

I hope you've enjoyed reading it, and I hope that I've given you something to think about.

This is Simon from The Engage Podcast signing out!

Simon's 21st Century Grand Tour of Europe!

Hi guys
As you can imagine after my last (quite personal) blog, I want to do a fairly safe...but interesting blog post this time! So I have decided to do this specific blog on travel, and in particular a 21st Century Grand Tour! Which in this particular case are places to visit if you are in Europe.
The places I list, are attractions I really have enjoyed visiting for one reason or another. You'll find that most have a historical significance of some kind, which may become a topic of one of my General Interest podcasts!

I say that because I haven't done that much travelling myself outside of Europe...so I can't do a worldwide list. Although as I write this I am thinking in future I may write a blog post about places I really want to visit around the world someday!!!

Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, England

Minack Theatre Stage

The first attraction on my Grand Tour should be very familiar to you all, as I have in fact written nine blog posts about it (up to this point in time!). I am of course talking about the Minack Theatre down in Cornwall.

Rowena Cade Memorial

 This is a place very close to my heart, because I have crewed (with my Dad) on two Surrey Opera (hi everyone at Surrey Opera!) shows since 2012. The Minack Theatre is unlike any other theatre, as it is so unique in it's design and location! Even it's origins are unbelievable, due to the sheer determination of its creator Rowena Cade!

Picture from Aerial Cornwall

For all those that don't know the theatre is located just outside of the village of Porthcurno perched on the top of a cliff looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.
The origins of the theatre date back to around 1931 when the amateur dramatics club she was apart of  decided to act out Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Looking towards the end of her garden (the gully above the Minack Rock) she said "I wonder if we could make a stage here?".
After 6 months of hard graft for her and two crafty Cornish craftsman the stage was set for the first performance of "The Tempest" in 1932. It was lit by batteries, car headlights and a weak supply of power brought down from Minack House (her house).
Over the years the theatre received improvements and extensions, making it the attraction you see today!
But the first time you look down to the stage you will become spellbound, like it did with me and Dad!!!

Pompeii,  Naples, Italy

 

Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background

The second destination on my Grand Tour is somewhere I've visited twice with my Mum on holiday! It's also one of those archaeological attractions that you have to visit if you have any interest in history or archaeology!

 

The ancient Roman town of Pompeii is what I'm talking about! As if you're like me and you have a very strong interest in history and archaeology then you just have to fly over to Italy and explore it!

 

After it was destroyed and buried by between 4-6 metres (or 13-20 foot) of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD (along with Herculaneum).
Pompeii, is somewhere that has an unusual history of being discovered and then being rediscovered. As it lost until 1599 when it was initially rediscovered...but it wasn't until it's second more famous rediscovery (in 1748) that Pompeii got put back on the map.
When the Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre discovered the town and started excavating. He discovered that the town and everything in it was perfectly preserved due to the lack of air and moisture.

A preserved loaf of bread from Pompeii

The objects that lay beneath the city have been well-preserved for centuries because of the lack of air and moisture. The artefacts the town contained provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into life of an everyday Roman citizen.

At this point I just want to point out that if your in anyway squeamish, don't read the next paragraph!

During the excavation, plaster of Paris was used to fill in the cavities in the ash layers which once held human bodies. Once the plaster of Paris had set allowed Joaquin and his team to see the exact position a person was in when they died.
 

A Pompeii street

 

A place well worth visiting (along with Mount Vesuvius) as it's amazing being able to walk in the same footsteps of everyday people (much like ourselves) from Roman times! An adventure well worth experiencing for yourself!!!

 



Titanic Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

 

Titanic Quarter

The next country we're off to is Northern Ireland...and Titanic Belfast! This is somewhere else I've visited with Mum on holiday back in 2013 (hi Julie & Robert!).

As the names suggests is a museum all about preserving the memory of all the people on board the ill-fated (and Belfast built) maiden voyage of the White Star Line RMS Titanic. The museum also discusses her sisters ships (RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic) also built at the nearby Harland and Wolff shipyards (including the famous world famous Samson and Goliath cranes).

Titanic Belfast forms the centrepiece to the Titanic–related heritage sites in the very apt "Titanic Quarter" of Belfast!

Other sites include the Harland and Wolff shipbuilding offices (including headquarters and drawing offices), the SS Nomadic (the last surviving White Star Line ship).

The Titanic–related sites doesn't stop there as you can also visit the Titanic's Dock and Pump house and...the Titanic and Olympic slipways.



Me standing at the bottom of the Titanic's Dock  (and Pump house)

All are nearby via a short walk...but I would recommend buying the Combo Ticket, which includes entrance into Titanic Belfast and Titanic's Dock and Pump house. This is because I believe it gives you a better idea of just how big the ship was when it was completed. Another clever way the designers of Titanic Belfast interweaved the scale of the Olympic-Class Ocean Liner is by constructing the building to the same height (126 feet or 38 metres) as the hull!

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast doesn't have any of the artefacts taken from the ship, as a sign of respect to all the people who lost their lives on the 14th April 1912. It still manages to really capture the story of the ship's construction between 1909-1911 to eventual rediscovery of the shipwreck on the 1st September 1985...73 years later.

The Shipyard Ride scale replica of the Titanic '​s rudder

The highlight of Titanic Belfast is The Shipyard and the Ride at the end of Shipyard Exhibition, where you board a six-seater car which takes you on a ride through a recreation of the Harland and Wolff shipyards. Making you feel as though the ship is being constructed around you...what is incredible about this ride is that the car actually moves through a scale replica of the Titanic '​s enormous rudder.

...so if you have any interest in Titanic I would recommend that you start planning your visit to Belfast and to Titanic Belfast, you won't regret it!!!

 



Anne Frank House Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
 



Anne Frank House Museum

The next country we're visiting is The Netherlands, and the Anne Frank House Museum! Which is situated in the country's capital Amsterdam. 

 

The Diary of Anne Frank BBC Mini-Series cover

I visited here with Mum all the way back in 2011....after my interest flourished watching the BBC production of The Diary of Anne Frank. The 5 part Mini-Series was produced in 2009, and Elle Kendrick  performed the lead role.

After watching that I then decided to read her diary (also known as 'The Diary of a Young Girl')...which I really enjoyed! So much so, that I ended up reading it for a total of three times in quick succession. But what I wanted to do, more than anything was to visit the museum!

 

Anne Frank

To all those that don't know who Anne Frank is here, is a brief summary of what happened to her and her family.

Anne's Franks original Diary

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who forced to go into hiding because of the German occupation of The Netherlands during Second World War. Together with seven others (including her family) she hides in an secret annex in Amsterdam, and writes about her experiences in a diary.



The Diary of a Young Girl 1947 first edition cover

Almost 2 years after going into hiding, they are discovered and deported to concentration camps. Anne’s father  (Otto Frank) is the only one of the eight people to survive from the Secret Annexe.

After the war Otto Frank gets his daughters wartime diary published in 1947...since then it has been translated into 67 languages with over 30 million copies sold worldwide!

A place well worth seeing if you have an interest in the Anne frank and the Second World War, as it is one of the most interesting places I've ever visited on my holidays!
Making well worth visiting...as you won't regret it for a second!

 



Imperial War Museum, London, England

 

Imperial War Museum

For our final destination we're heading back to where our Grand Tour began...England! Where my absolutely favourite museum in the world is situated, I am of course talking about the Imperial War Museum!

Before the Foster and Partners redevelopment

It has recently re-opened (17th July 2014) after two years of redevelopment and £40 million pounds of investment, so that the museum could better fulfil it's aim 'to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and "wartime experience".

The new layout was designed by Foster and Partners, who are also responsible for construction of The Canary Wharf Underground Station and the American Air Museum at the Imperial War Museum's Duxford branch. Which won Foster and partners the Stirling Prize in 1997!

After the Foster and Partners redevelopment

The history of the Imperial War Museum goes right back to 1917, when the Cabinet agreed that a National War Museum should be created in order to collect and display material relating to the Great War, which was still being fought.

Imperial War Museum at The Crystal Palace

The Dominion governments (countries under the crown in either the British Empire or the Commonwealth) also took an interest in the Cabinet's project...so the name was changed to the Imperial War Museum. Three years later in 1920 an Act of parliament formally established the museum and elected a governing Board of Trustees. Later that year (9th June 1920) the museum was opened by King George V in The Crystal Palace.

Imperial War Museum at The Crystal Place poster from 1920 (by P I Rixon)

Between the years 1924-1935 it was housed in two galleries adjacent to the former Imperial Institute, located in South Kensington.
One year (7th July 1936) after it closed in The Crystal Place the Duke of York (who later become King George VI) reopened the museum in its present home...
which in a former life, made up the central portion of the Bethlem Royal Hospital (also known as ‘Bedlam’). This change of postcode was all down to the generosity of Lord Rothermere.

St Paul's Cathedral during The Blitz

At the outset of the Second World War the Imperial War Museum's terms of reference were enlarged to cover both world wars. From September 1940 to November 1946 the museum was closed to the public, and vulnerable collections were evacuated to stores outside London.

Short seaplane

Most of the exhibits survived the war...but a Short seaplane (had flown at the Battle of Jutland) was shattered when a German bomb fell on the Naval Gallery on the 31st January 1941. In the same blast some naval models were damaged.
Since 1953 the museum's terms of reference have been extended again to include all military operations, where either Britain or the Commonwealth have been involved with since August of 1914.

It an amazing museum, which takes an interesting look at the history of warfare. By displaying the artefacts in an exciting and unique way...acting as a memorial to all the people that have died because of war.
Influencing (and inspiring) people to stop wars from ever happening in the future, which is something at the heart of the Star Trek franchise and ideology, making it somewhere you just have to visit!

This is Simon from The Engage Podcast, saying You Only Live Once (YOLO)!
Signing out!!!