Paris, France

Egypt's pharaohs have always been the standard to which all monarchs aspire. Hence, all the potentates of Europe had to have a spire of their own: an Egyptian obelisk. This one was given ("given"?) to King Louis Philippe in 1829. Its hieroglyphics praise the reign of Ramses II ("Louis Philippe"?). [2005]

Piraeus, Greece

"I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky, I think about it every night and day, spread my wings and fly away." So sayeth R Kelly and every skateboarder in the world. [2006]

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Melbourne was Australia's first capital. It served from 1901 until 1927. In 1902, the new national government gave women the right to vote. It took until 1908, however, to bring women's suffrage to Victoria, Melbourne's home state. A sculpture called "Great Petition" commemorates the 30,000 signatures collected in favor of giving women access to the voting booth. [2011]

Canberra, ACT, Australia

Australia's old Parliament House served until 1988 when the new Parliament House took its rightful place, exactly where Walter Burley Griffin wanted it: atop Capital Hill. Griffin and his wife were the original planners of Canberra, a city built from scratch to host the national government. [2006]

Canberra, ACT, Australia

Canberra 101: It's not a course; it's the number of years Canberra has been on the map. Canberra 310: It's not a course; it's Canberra Day (3-10), a day to celebrate the naming of Australia's capital city. Canberra 107: It's not a course; it's the height of Parliament House in meters. What gives the building height? The four boomerangs (yes!) that hold hold up the flag. [2006]

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Before you know it, a new generation has taken over the gameboard and you are watching from the sidelines. Bobby Fischer: Move aside, even if today is (or would be) your birthday. A young Norwegian has taken over. At age 19, Magnus Carlsen became the number one player in the world. This month, he became the highest rated player in history. [2009]

Zitácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico

Commencing in the 1500s, the Laws of the Indies provided a template for town planning in Spain's New World possessions. One of the Laws states that there should "always be sufficient space where people may go to for recreation and take their cattle to pasture without them making any damage." Ergo, in the center of every town was the Plaza Major. [2008]