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It’s lonely at the top

Spare a thought for the rich and famous. In addition to their endless supply of cash and the adventures and trinkets at their fingertips from all of that cash, they also have problems, lo and behold. Some are self-inflicted (we won’t name any names here, Reeve.) And we’re not having a pity party for them, because that would just be silly and disingenuous, which is not our way of working. It is also useful to note that many of the rich have stepped into it with their eyes wide open. For others, it was luck or a happy change of events.

But let’s focus now on those who willfully fling themselves into the heat of it all – those characters are usually called politicians. Since we love history here at Matouring, and we love to share it, we will step back in time to when countries are not as insanely gun-crazy like it is now (it’s 2023) and see what the lay of the land was back then for “the haves.” Today, we’re discussing Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. You’ll learn about how cautious they were as they traveled around the globe, and the lengths that they took to stay alive.

US Car Number 1, The Ferdinand Magellan, sits in the Gold Coast Railway Museum in Miami. It is named after the Portuguese explorer. The current owner, Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami-Dade CountyFlorida, acquired it in 1959. The Ferdinand Magellan was designated a National Historic Landmark  (you can visit, of course.) Like most trains, The car was protected with 58 inch (16 mm) armor plate on the sides, top, bottom and ends. The windows were replaced with sealed 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) 12-ply laminated bullet resistant glass. (Joke!) Roosevelt took it very seriously, even to have  58 inch (16 mm) armor plate on the sides, top, bottom and ends.

Want to go see FDR’s train? Click here to find out more.

Watch more courtesy of Tom Scott.

Next – given the circumstances, John F. Kennedy even took it further with his protective measures. Remember that he was the US President during the Cold War with Russia (hey – wait a minute.) His worries were such that he had a nuclear fallout shelter in Nantucket, where he lived. Read more here courtesy of Smithsonian. JFK’s bunker will be open, once repairs have taken place. It’s expected to open again in 2025-2026. Check back here as the museum progresses.

Do you want your activities crime-free or crime-spree? Miami (and Viator) has it all. Click here.

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