This month in “First Names First” it is all about Paul & Paula in the usual male and female posts respectively. The year in brackets indicates the year of birth. Why not follow one of those Wikipedia links to read about the person, and then see what if anything they could contribute your life with. Inspiration, passion, enlightenment, encouragement, empathy, etc. Or just thoughts for the day. Paul Revere* silversmith/industrialist/Patriot in the American Revolution – Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America (1735) Continue reading

In the year 1712, enslaved Africans revolt in New York City (Apr 6), Peter the Great moves the capital of Russia from Moscow to Saint Petersburg (May 19), a warrant is issued in Scotland for the arrest of outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor (Oct 3), John Arbuthnot creates the character of John Bull to represent Britain, the Great Northern War goes on - and all these fine people were born: 1712-xxxx Angélique du Coudray* pioneering midwife - Clermont-Ferrand, France (1794/c. Continue reading

In the year 1539, Spain annexes Cuba (Jan 14), the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay, Florida with the goal to find gold (May 30), the first printing press in North America is set up in Mexico City, the Protestant Reformation i.e. the movement against papal authority goes on - and all these fine people were born: 1539-xxxx Humphrey Gilbert* adventurer/explorer/pioneer of the English colonial empire in North America - Greenway, Brixham, England (1583/c. Continue reading

In the year 1720, Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm, by and by ending the Great Northern War (Feb 11), Spanish forces assault the British settlement of Nassau in the Bahamas (Feb 24), Frederick I becomes the king of Sweden (Mar 24), the English stock market crashes (Sep), the Tuscarora people leave North Carolina as a result of European colonization, the world’s first yacht club is founded in Ireland, Jonathan Swift begins his Gulliver’s Travels - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1722, Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen lands on Easter Sunday on what is now Easter Island (Apr 5), The “Brown Bess” musket becomes the British Army’s standard infantry firearm for more than a century - and all these fine people were born: 1722-0103 Fredrik Hasselqvist* traveller/ naturalist - Törnevalla, Östergötland, Kingdom of Sweden (1752/30) 1722-0126 Alexander Carlyle* church leader/autobiographer - Cummertrees, Dumfriesshire, Scotland (1805/83) 1722-0207 Azar Bigdeli* Persian anthologist/poet - Isfahan, Safavid Empire (1781/59) Continue reading

In the year 1612, Axel Oxenstierna persuades the Riksdag of the Estates to grant the Swedish nobility the right and privilege to hold all higher offices of government (Jan 6), Galileo Galilei becomes the first astronomer to observe Neptune, yet he mistakenly catalogues it as a fixed star (Dec 28), many people are hanged for witchcraft in England, the Nagoya Castle is completed in Japan - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1711, King Louis XIV becomes the longest-reigning monarch in the world (surpassed by Queen Elizabeth in 2020) (Jun 18), the Tuscarora War begins when Tuscarora natives raid settlements in the Province of Carolina (Sep 22), Wall Street in New York City becomes the city’s first official slave market for the sale and rental of enslaved Africans and Indians (Dec 13), John Shore invents the tuning fork - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This time a little longer quotation, but one which describes so well its writer. Who might that be? “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me." First of all, that is a masterful description of the star sign she was born under, Sagittarius. And the characteristics of which are seen in many of her novels. Continue reading

Peter The Wild Boy as an older man. Picture credit to wellcom.org In the year 1724, the Dutch East India Company cargo ship Fortuyn sinks on its maiden voyage on the way to Batavia (Jan 18), Jonathan Swift distributes the first of his seven “Drapier’s Letters”, seeking to turn public opinion against Ireland (Apr 28), Peter the Wild Boy is captured near Helpensen in Hanover, but never adjusts to civilized society (Jul 27), Yeongjo becomes the new Emperor of Korea (Oct 16), China expels foreign missionaries, the oldest surviving publishing house in England is founded - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This time in Language Day we go through one word in daily use all over the world: grandmother! Let’s see the official (in bold) and the colloquial word (in italics) for these darlings in some of the countries in detail. Note that some languages make a distinction between maternal and paternal grandmothers (and grandfathers for that matter). The colloquial use given here are the most common ones. There may always be local and cultural variations. Continue reading

If you ever wonder about the occupations given here after a person’s name, in the year files and elsewhere, here’s some clarification over the matter. The idea has been to see the chronology - that this site heavily leans upon - even in the small place allocated to each person in the year files. We go from youth to seniority. From relatively easy jobs to ones requiring more skill and/or more experience and maturity. Continue reading

Tenhola Church from the late 15th century In the year 1329, King John of Bohemia captures the pagan fortress Medvėgalis in Lithuania and baptizes 6,000 of its defenders (Feb 1), the emperor of Ethiopia, Amda Seyon I, begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces, providing for the spread of Christianity to frontier areas (Feb 18), over 160 people are killed in Braganstown massacre in Ireland (Jun 10), the town of Tenhola in southern Finland is founded - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1563” align=“alignright” width=“342”]Shearith Israel in New York City (Courtesy of Gryffindor)[/caption] In the year 1730, the first synagogue in New York City is dedicated (Apr 8), Mahmud I becomes the new Ottoman emperor, an empire that existed from around 1299 until 1922 (Sep 17), construction of the Ladoga Canal - one of the first major navigable canals - is completed in order to safeguard the passage for boats in the windy Lake Ladoga in Western Russia (Oct 22) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This time in “First Names First” it is all about Erika/Erica! A very international name as you can see in the list below. Why not follow one of those Wikipedia links to read about the person, and then see what if anything she could contribute your life with. Inspiration, passion, enlightenment, encouragement, empathy, etc. Or just thoughts for the day. Erika Lindström* teacher/missionary /writer – Sund, Åland, GD of Finland (1879) Continue reading

In the year 1731, the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy is established by order of the Empress Anna of Russia, helping Okhotsk to develop into a major port (May 10), the oldest known sports score in history is recorded at a cricket match in England (Aug 23), Laura Bassi becomes the first official female university teacher, at the University of Bologna - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1733, the Molasses Act is passed by British House of Commons, reinforcing the negative opinions of the British by American colonists (Mar 21), English replaces Latin and Law French as the official language of English and Scottish courts (Mar 25), the _Danish West India Compan_y buys the island of Saint Croix from France (Jun 15), the first Freemasons lodge opens in (British) America (Jul 30) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

National Mall in Washington D,C. Photo credit: Matti Blume This time in Streets and Squares the capital of the United States of America, and the place that is all over the news this inauguration day: Washington D.C. Many of the streets in central Washington D.C. are state names, so we skip them as we are only looking for people here. We also look at the many parks of Washington D.C. And as always, clicking on the address links leads you to Google Maps, and clicking on the names usually to the person’s Wikipedia page. Continue reading

Bellevue Hospital in New York in the early days In the year 1736, Bellevue Hospital is founded in New York (Mar 31), Witchcraft Act of 1735 in Great Britain comes into effect, intending to end legal witch trials there (Jun 24), attempts to calculate the precise circumference of Earth start in today’s Ecuador (Oct 13), Benjamin Franklin builds the first volunteer fire company in Philadelphia (Dec 17) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1357, Erik Magnusson is recognized as king of most of Sweden, in opposition to his father, King Magnus (Apr 28), Peter I becomes King of Portugal, after the death of his father, Alfonso IV (May 28), Charles Bridge in Prague is founded (Jul 9), influenza is first identified as a disease - and all these fine people were born: 1357-xxxx Art Óg Mac Murchadha Caomhánach* (Art MacMurrough-Kavanagh) King of Leinster - Leinster, Ireland (1417/c. Continue reading

Pensacola in northwestern Florida. Photo credit to TheCustomOfLife In the year 1559, Elizabeth I of England is crowned in Westminster Abbey (Jan 15), John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation (May 2), a Spanish missionary colony arrives from Vera Cruz (Mexico) at Pensacola Bay, founding the oldest European settlement in the mainland U.S. (Aug 15), the University of Geneva is founded by John Calvin - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading