The Palais Garnier, a building ran by the Paris Opera Ballet Company or “Opéra national de Paris,” was completed on January 5 of 1875. This building was designed as a lasting mark left by Napoléon III, following a failed assanitation attempt. Located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, it was believed such an open standing building would ensure security as the attempt on the President’s life was still fresh. The building boasts expensive material such as marble, gold, elaborate statues, and was built with a power plant in its basement. This gave it the title of “world’s first electrified opera.” Further, it claims to be the building where the phonograph and théàtrophone were first tested. These combined advances and symbols of wealth drew high...

Notting Hill is a popular, multicultural neighborhood in London. The district is known for the Notting Hill Carnival, a popular Caribbean cultural event that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. However, less than a decade ago, Notting Hill was a very different place. During the mid-20th century, Notting Hill was a neighborhood typically associated with crime and poverty. Indeed, many of the buildings within the district were destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, resulting in Notting Hill becoming something of a slum. This fact, coupled with the influx of Caribbean immigrants to the area following the 1948 British Nationality Act, resulted in racial tensions that eventually culminated in the Notting Hill Riots of 1958.