February 1, 1953: the Netherlands were hit by a storm tide. In the regions of Zeeland, Zuid-Holland and western Noord-Brabant this disaster claimed over 2000 casualties and some ten thousand cattle were killed. National and international relief measures were begun immediately.
Nearly two thousand people died and more than 150,000 hectares of land were flooded. People soon became aware that something had to be done, and very, very quickly.
Geschiedenis TV – Watersnood 1953
1 februari 1953 brak de storm los. Een ramp van historische proportie. Click door naar http://www.geschiedenistv.nl
Polygoon Journaal 1953
Eerste deel van een extra Polygoon journaal over de Watersnoodramp en Zeeland. Beelden van de kust bij ‘s Gravezande, Katwijk, Noordwijk en IJmuiden, overal zijn door de springvloed duinen en boulevards vernield. Ondergelopen spooremplacement van Rotterdam en water in de dijken van Zuid-Beveland en West-Brabant. Vernielde huizen en boerderijen. Geredde mensen in een opvangscentrum krijgen eten en kleding.
Polygoon Journaal 1953 (dutch)
Ben van Meerendonk pictures of Dordrecht
Website of the Deltawerken.
The Dutch modern protection against the sea.
A what kind of sign-post in Holland??? 
As you may noticed we do not write about the big cartoon discussion. It is all a bit to complicated and political to write an easy to read article about it. In sort we are too sick of it all to join the hype. I support the Danish people, whatever your opinion about the cartoons you can’t blame a nation for the drawings of one cartoonist. I want to stress that I understand that linking Mohammed to terrorist or depict him as a pig is not decent. But in a democratic country we settle matters at the court not in state organized protests in front of embassies. 
In spring 1606, the VOC sent a ship from Batavia to map the unknown areas south of the Dutch Indies and to find new trading partners. The ship was called Duyfken. The ‘unknown South Land’ that it visited as the first European ship, was Australia.
Just the other day I talked about why there wasn’t an easy free public hoster of something like 
Cane Toads are a pest in Australia. 
American space disasters are pretty well known, like the Challenger disaster or the re-entry failure of the Colombia. 
