re: What's the closest you or a family member has been to a part of history?

This is an account of my great grandfather. He was from St Martinville, but was living in Seattle with his brother when he set out on his adventure of walking around the world. He left Seattle in 1920 and died in China in 1922.

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Starting in Seattle, he walked to New York City. I’m not sure how or why, but he met the mayor, who threw him a parade down Broadway and had him give a speech at the Stock Exchange. He boarded a ship to England, then to Belgium. He walked through France, where he was arrested on suspicion of being a Bolshevik spy. After his release, he continued into Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece. In Greece he boarded a ship to Egypt, then walked to Jerusalem, Damascus, and Bagdad, where he was received as a guest of honor of King Faisal I of Iraq. A British representative wouldn’t allow to continue along the coast into Persia, so he boarded a ship in Basra and sailed to Karachi. From there he entered in India, where newspapers reported that thousands started following along with him, believing he was some kind of holy man. He continued walking into Nepal, Burma, and into China. In China he contracted and died of Yellow Fever, ending his journey before he could cross the Pacific and return to the US.

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