European Urban Centres from West to East, 1940-44

This article is a revised version of an essay submitted for academic credit at the University of Toronto. Belgian displaced-persons (or "DPs") after their escape from urban combat in 1945. (Time) Throughout history, military forces have usually avoided fighting in built-up areas for a variety of reasons. Street battles are difficult to control, harder to…

02/07 – The Maastricht Treaty

The EU flag flies at the Union's HQ in Brussels, Belgium. (Flickr) On this day in 1992, the Maastricht Treaty was signed in the Netherlands by 12 member states, signalling the creation of the EU (European Union). Today, the EU is a historically unprecedented community that shares a common currency (the euro), open borders and…