1911

In the later years of the 19th century, New York’s population had surpassed that of Paris and was quickly rising to level with London. Peculiar to this increase of population was the lack of a reference point in the city. The 27th President of the United States of America, President William Howard Taft on May 23rd 1911, dedicated the New York Public library that took 14 years to build at the cost of $9 million.Today, there are over two million members issued with the New York public library cards with branches of the library put up in New York City.

Three months later on August 21 and a trip across the Atlantic Ocean, Vincenzo Perugia walked into the Louvre in Paris, dismounted the famed Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci and walked out of the museum, the Mona Lisa hidden under his clothes. Detectives and investigators ruled out professional art thieves since it would be too suspicious to sell the painting.

The Mona Lisa turned up two years later where Perugia was trying to collect money from an Italian art dealer. The theft prompted better security installations across the world in museums.

As the year ended, it took more than just the spirit of adventure for the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsento hoist the Norwegian flag at the bottom of the world on December 14. Amundsen had earlier wanted to be the first man to the North Pole, American explorer Robert Pearly beat him to it, and so he settled for the South Pole.Amundsen also became the first person to fly over the North Pole in an aircraft.

The best way to move forward is to know where to trail the past and the above compilation is just but a snippet of what happened in the year 1911.