Travel

Itching for a revolution? Then visit a restaurant perched up high and watch the world go around.

Revolving restaurants sprouted atop towers and boxy buildings across the U.S. in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s as symbols of modernity, progress and a space-age future, according to Chad Randl, author of “Revolving Architecture: A History of Buildings that Rotate, Swivel and Pivot.”

“They were really the thing to have,” he said. Once the novelty of spinning around over a meal ran its course, however, most revolving restaurants fell into disrepair. Some were converted into conference rooms; many were toppled.

But don’t despair, those that still spin tend to have a charm worthy of their kitschy revolution – a spectacular view, for example, or a menu that claims to make the world stand still.

This Fourth of July visitors will once again be free to visit the Statue of Liberty’s crown for the first time since 9/11.

The New York City landmark’s upper reaches are set to reopen after being closed for safety reasons after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The move follows the reopening of Liberty Island in late 2001 and of the statue in 2004.

Birders are a dedicated lot – rising at dawn to catch a glimpse of their feathered friends, traveling hundreds of miles to follow up on sightings reported in online discussion groups, and willing to stand still and silent for hours on end in hopes that their target du jour will flutter into view. Learn about 10 sightings of elusive and rare birds.

On St. Patrick’s Day—Tuesday, March 17—millions of people will don green and celebrate the Irish in, and around, them with parades, good cheer, and perhaps a pint of beer.

But few St. Patrick’s Day revelers have a clue about St. Patrick, the man, according to the author of St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography.

“The modern celebration of St. Patrick’s Day really has almost nothing to do with the real man,” said classics professor Philip Freeman of Luther College in Iowa.

The Titanic, the 46,000-ton “unsinkable” ocean liner that struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912 and sank within hours to the bottom of the North Atlantic, is the world’s most famous shipwreck. But it’s not the only wrecked ship steeped in history – if not treasure – discovered on the bottom of the sea. Learn about nine more shipwrecks that have enriched our imagination.

To protect future flights, scientists are hard at work on ways to keep birds away from planes.

Most of today’s anti-bird-strike efforts are ground-based, focusing on making airports less inviting to birds by removing ponds, exterminating the bugs birds eat, firing noise cannons, installing artificial owls, and so on.

But the next frontier in bird-strike prevention is the sky.

Bird-disturbing radar, pulsing lights, and reflective coatings may someday make aircraft more visible to birds, so they have time to dodge oncoming planes.

Captions for photos of travel destinations and cultural events around the world. Shots include a boat race in India, the Day of the Dead in Guatemala, voodoo priests in Haiti, and Dawat-e-Islami congregation goers in Pakistan.