May 27, 1703: Saint Petersburg founded

Twice this week I’ve had an opportunity to feature some of my Final Jeopardy! clues. This one was in PEOPLE ON THE MAP:

Whether I got this clue correct is still a matter of dispute in some circles. What is clear, however, is Tsar Peter the Great founded Saint Petersburg on this day in 1703.

In 1703, Peter the Great needed a fortress to protect the lands he had just conquered from Sweden. He picked a place called Hare’s Island to set up his new holding.

As Russia would soon learn, its new jewel was set on a swamp. Many laborers died during its construction due to the swift pace of construction and the general lack of food. But its strategic importance was beyond reproach, and it soon became the capital.

Its name changed to Petrograd in 1914; to Leningrad in 1924; and back to Saint Petersburg in 1991. The capital relocated to Moscow in 1918, but the city is still the second-largest in Russia and the northernmost (its latitude is just shy of 60°N) with a population of over a million.

Unfortunately, I did not get credit for this response, because it was unclear which “Peter” I was going for. (At the time, Eugene Finerman said something along the lines of: “You picked the wrong time to be a Protestant.”)

For more, visit An Illustrated History of Saint Petersburg.

Image: taken by NoPlayerUfa on Wikimedia Commons.