Near Gigen, Bulgaria, archaeologists have been documenting newly exposed foundations of Constantine’s Bridge, an enormous Roman bridge inaugurated in AD 328 under Emperor Constantine the Great. The bridge stretched for more than 2 kilometres across the Danube, connecting the Roman settlements of Oescus in present-day Bulgaria and Sucidava in present-day Romania. It survived for only a few decades before disappearing from use. Now, nearly 1,700 years later, the river has temporarily revealed parts of its foundations again. And this isn't the only ancient bridge the Danube has given back. In 1858, another severe drop in the river exposed substantial remains of Trajan’s Bridge, built around AD 105 by the Romans during their conquest of Dacia.

>grows up in California as the son of Italian immigrants >becomes a world-class runner and competes for the United States at the 1936 Berlin Olympics >joins the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II >becomes a bombardier aboard a B-24 Liberator >survives a catastrophic plane crash in the Pacific in 1943 >spends 47 days drifting across the ocean on a tiny life raft >survives starvation, dehydration, storms and attacks by sharks >is eventually captured by Japanese forces becomes a prisoner of war >is repeatedly beaten and humiliated by guards >is singled out by a brutal guard nicknamed “The Bird,” who makes him a personal target >is forced to endure years of hunger, disease and physical abuse >survives until Japan surrenders in 1945 >returns home weighing only about 65 pounds >spends years struggling with the psychological scars of captivity >eventually chooses forgiveness over hatred >later returns to Japan and meets some of his former guards >spends the rest of his life speaking about resilience, forgiveness and redemption Louis Zamperini. The prisoner who refused to let his captors break him