[The Grand Canal and Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy]

Italian Time Travel Trip 1906 Italy was getting ready for the 1908 Summer Olympics when Mount Vesuvius erupted. It became active in January and culminated with an eruption on April 5th, when Vesuvius killed over 100 people and ejected the most lava ever recorded from a Vesuvian eruption ever. Government funds previously allocated for the Summer Olympics had to be diverted to the reconstruction of Naples, requiring a new location for the Olympics to be found. April 10 – The lava flow from Mount Vesuvius, which had almost ceased, starts again in the direction of Torre Annunziata; reached the cemetery of that town and then turned in the direction of Pompeii (again!). April 28 – The Milan International world's fair opens in Milan. It welcomed 4,012,776 visits and covered 100 hectares (250 acres). May 6 – The first Targa Florio, an open road endurance automobile race, starts in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. The race was initiated by Vincenzo Florio and is considered to be the oldest sports car racing event.

Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952) was an American photographer who is best known for her pioneering work in the field of architectural and landscape photography. She was born in Grafton, West Virginia, and after studying art and photography in Paris, she returned to the United States and established herself as a successful photographer. Johnston's work focused primarily on architecture, and she photographed many of the most significant buildings and structures of her time. She also photographed landscapes, gardens, and people, and her work often appeared in magazines such as House Beautiful, Ladies' Home Journal, and Country Life. One of Johnston's most notable projects was her documentation of historic architecture in the American South. In 1933, she was commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation to photograph historic homes and buildings in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. This work resulted in a series of photographs that are now housed in the Library of Congress. Throughout her career, Johnston was also an advocate for women in photography, and she worked to promote the work of other women photographers. She was a founding member of the Women's Professional Photographers' Association and the Photo-Secession, a group of photographers who sought to elevate photography as an art form.