History Hunters International

What do Timbuktu, Kathmandu, and the Statue of Liberty have in common? They are all World Heritage Sites. As of October, 2004, there are 788 sites designated by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to "encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity." The attached 1-megabyte KML file locates all UNESCO World Heritage sites with a "star" placemark. Those with a red outline designate "endangered" sites. Click or right-click any World Heritage placemark for a descriptive "snippet" and up to four clickable links: * The "pic" link shows a postage-stamp-sized picture of the site. (Hint: Choose "Window/Web" in Keyhole&undefined;s menu. Adjust the window size to fit the small picture. Now you can easily click to see the pictures as you browse the World Heritage sites, without leaving the Keyhole interface.) * The "gg" link takes you directly to a Google image search.. Typically you&undefined;ll see lots of good photos with links to good web pages. (It may help to edit the search terms a bit.) * About 100 sites have "VR" links. Virtual reality! Blue star placemarks identify them. Click for ground-level 360-degree views of the site. (Requires the free Apple QuickTime viewer - You&undefined;ll be guided through the installation if you don&undefined;t have it.) * The "more" link goes directly to UNESCO&undefined;s webpage for the site, where you&undefined;ll find the complete description, links to related documents, and related websites. You&undefined;ll learn why the site was chosen, and, in some cases, why the site is endangered. Most of these sites are still "low-res." Even so, the World Heritage placemarks and links take you to hundreds of fascinating, beautiful, exotic places. Many of them were completely unknown to me...I suspect many will have been unknown to you as well. Enjoy your journey!

Download and install this experimental KML data file for Google's Google Earth program to see an interactive map of ArchAtlas's "Sites from Satellites". Click on the ArchAtlas icons to open information bubbles about the sites and double-click to fly there.

The most studied battle in history, the knowledge of which was used by Storming Norman to great effect.

Second World War Author: Steve Thompson In this extremely comprehensive KML, you can view Britain's wartime landscape. The file shows thousands of sites that played a part in defending Britain. Each placemark contains a description of the site's function, current condition, and where available photographic evidence. Viewing Tip: Avoid turning on all folders at the same time as this may cause the application to slow down on some computers.

Author: Smithsonian Institution During the 16th and 17th centuries, Portugal's initiative to explore and discover brought the world closer together and turned Portugal into a major world economic power. In this file, you can read information, see photographs and view the paths taken in these pioneering voyages.

Author: Global Heritage Fund For thousands of years, different cultures have shaped the world we live in today. The Global Heritage Fund layer explores the 13 cultural heritage sites that GHF is attempting to preserve for future generations. From ancient Mayan Mirador pyramids buried in a Guatemalan forest threatened by clear cutting to the crumbling Lijiang Ancient Town in China, which represents 1,000 years in the lives of the Naxi people, GHF introduces you to these threatened archaeological treasures, and the work it's doing, in partnership with local governments and resources, to save them.