Despite massive attacks in Malta, the aircraft carrier was repaired and escaped. But the Three Cities were hammered

On the evening of 12 April 1807, a thunderous explosion rocked Fort Ricasoli in Malta, sending shockwaves across the Grand Harbour.

The Great Siege of Malta in 1565 was one of the most heroic battles of the sixteenth century.

On the 9th of June in 1798, residents in the harbour towns of Cottonera and Valletta watched with curiosity and alarm as French flags crowded the horizon.

During the night, a strange rumbling echoed across the sea. Hundreds of sweating and straining men and oxen were pulling on ropes and chains to drag about eighty ships on wooden rollers over the narrow strip of land between Marsamxett Harbour and the Grand Harbour.

During the Great Siege of 1565, the towns of Senglea and Birgu had been under constant attack for nearly two months.

Imagine. Rubble and destruction all around you. A once peaceful neighbourhood, now completely obliterated.

Being the home to one of the most important fleets in the Mediterranean during volatile times, coupled with a prime strategic location as a shipping hub, it was only a matter of time until Malta got its own ship repair facility.

Gunpowder is a dangerous material made from a mix of potassium nitrate (saltpeter), sulphur, and charcoal. This same mixture gives fireworks their loud bangs, bright flashes, and dazzling sparkles during celebrations.