2540 - Kursk, Russia

Kursk was first built as a fortress city, west of the Kur River. It was first mentioned in 1032 and gained city status in 1779.

Between 1360 - 1508 it was a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After that it joined Russia and became Russia's southern border. During the Second World War, Kursk was occupied by Germany from 1941-43. After losing the city in 1943, the German's attempted to retake Kursk via Operation Citadel. During the operation, the world's largest tank battles took place during the Battle of Prokhorovka, about 90 km from Kursk. The 5th Guards Tank Army of the Soviet Red Army attacked the II SS-Panzer Corps of the German Waffen-SS. The Germans lost 842 men, along with 80 tanks and 19 aircraft, while the Soviet's lost 5500 men, along with 400 tanks, and 14 fighter aircraft. Even though the Soviets had significant loses, the Germans cancelled Operation Citadel even though Hitler's advisors wanted to continue the battle. Hitler instead re-deployed his forces elsewhere.

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3584 - Blaine, Minnesota, United States of America

The sender was in Las Vegas recently and bought this card from The Mob Museum. The Mob Museum, officially known as the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, is located in downtown Las Vegas. It open in 2012. It features artifacts, stories, and the history of organized crime in the United States, but also the actions and initiatives by law enforcement to prevent such crimes. The museum is found at the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, which was built in 1933. The quote on this card was from John Gotti. John Gotti (1940-2002) was the mafioso and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. After ordering the killing of Gambino boss Paul Catellano in 1985, he took over the family and led what was the United States' most powerful crime syndicate. He was known as The Teflon Don after three high profile trials in the 1980s resulted in acquittals. Later it was revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and...

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2346 - Iwate, Iwate, Japan

Keita is a junior high science teacher in Iwate 岩手町. He sent me a photo of the Tokyo Sky Tower during a fireworks display. The Tokyo Sky Tower is a broadcasting and observation tower in Simide, a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010. In 2011, when it was completed at a height of 634 meters, it became the tallest tower in the world, and the second tallest structure in the world, after Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE.

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