[caption id=“attachment_5206” align=“alignleft” width=“368”]Stortorget in Gamla Stan, Stockholm[/caption] This is part of the ongoing series Streets and Squares that provide some background information on street signs around the world - a fun way to learn about the history and culture of the cities you visit or even live in! This time we talk about Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. There are lots of squares there that bear historical names, but of course street addresses as well. Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_5339” align=“alignright” width=“341”]Statue of Simon Bolivar in Paris, France[/caption] In the year 1825, Simon Bolivar gives up his title of dictator of Peru, and is now called El Libertador (Feb 10), the Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government, and migrate west (Feb 12), Uruguay secedes from Brazil (Jul 18), Bolivia gains independence from Spain (Aug 6), the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives opens in England (Sep 27), London takes over Beijing as the largest city in the world, the U. Continue reading

Genghis Khan establishes the Mongol Empire in the year 1206 Pick one year or decade between 1201 and 1300! If you have ancestors born during this century that you know of, you can have them added in the list by simp uply leaving a comment in the box below the year or decade in question. The decades for the 13th century will have links by and by. The individual years will be few and far between unless we will get plenty of requests from genealogists. Continue reading

If you do your own grocery shopping, you’ve probably seen a major change in shelf labels. More and more labels are about offering the vegan option. Which is a great thing for the world. Since we all know - or should know, in these enlightened times - what a wasteful and detrimental life man has been living as a carnivore considering what it does to the Earth. If it takes 50 000 liters of water to create a couple of pounds of meat to sell, that’s just plain wrong, isn’t it? Continue reading

So time for another piece in the series Who Said That! Remember to scroll s l o w l y. Who said: “FOR EVERY MINUTE YOU ARE ANGRY YOU LOSE SIXTY SECONDS OF HAPPINESS” A hint: this great philosopher was born in 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. [caption id=“attachment_3031” align=“aligncenter” width=“3504”]Happiness can be a choice[/caption] And the answer is: * * * Ralph Waldo Emerson. Check for more good quotes from goodreads. Continue reading

Tomas Camerano - Nov 4, 2020Nice content. Nice article. Hi Astrid, I’m glad you liked the article! Hi Tomas! Thanks for the review! I’m glad you liked this year file.

In the year 1864, Danish-Prussian War starts (Feb 1), the first submarine sinking takes place (Feb 17), In God We Trust starts appearing in all U.S. coins (Apr 22), President Lincoln issues a proclamation of conscription for the U.S. Civil War (Jul 18), the first fish&chips shop perhaps opens in London (Aug 13), the first Geneva Convention is signed (Aug 22), Brazil invades Uruguay (Oct 12), hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho noncombatants are massacred at Sand Creek, Colorado (Nov 29), the American Civil War goes on - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Here’s yet another piece in our series Monthly Latin! Our fascination of this old language may very well keep it alive for centuries to come as there is no end to the wise and for ever applicable phrases in Latin. This phrase is known to most of us, and its message loud and clear.  Amor Vincit Omnia But who said that originally? Do we even know, this being such an omnipresent idea, what with love being - hopefully - present in everybody’s life, no matter when or where you live. Continue reading

Another piece in our series First Names First! Pick one of the names that you see below. Then follow the Wikipedia link to read about that person, and to see what if anything he or she could contribute your life with. Inspiration, passion, enlightenment, encouragement, empathy, etc. Give a couple of minutes to this for lives lived have all something worthwhile to tell us. This time it is all about Kevin! Continue reading

In the year 1823, the first worldwide carnival parade takes place in Cologne, Prussia (Feb 10), gold is found in Australia, predating the gold rushes from 1851 on (Feb 15), 11-year old Franz Liszt gives a concert and is personally congratulated by Beethoven (Apr 13), Demerara rebellion in British Guiana takes place (Aug 18), Simón Bolivar becomes President of Peru (Sep 10), the medical journal Lancet is founded in London (Oct 5), rugby is invented (Nov),James Monroe introduces the Monroe Doctrine in his State of the Union address (Dec 2), work begins on the British Museum in London - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_5156” align=“alignleft” width=“369”]Amsterdam Town Hall by Gerrit Berckheyde (today the Royal Palace)[/caption] In the year 1655, Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is discovered (Mar 25), the Dutch West India Company denies Peter Stuyvesant’s request to exclude Jews from New Amsterdam (Manhattan) (Apr 26), English troops land on Jamaica (May 10), the Amsterdam Town Hall is inaugurated (Jul 20), Peter Stuyvesant, as the governor of New Netherland, attacks the New Sweden (Delaware) colony (Aug), Swedish King Karl X Gustav occupies Warsaw (Sep 8) and Krákow (Oct 19) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1816, Davy’s lamp - for use in flammable atmospheres - is first tested underground as a coal mining safety lamp (Jan 9), Rossini’s The Barber of Seville premieres in Rome (Feb 20), the United States signs a treaty with the Cherokee Nation (Mar 22), the American Colonization Society is established in order to support the emigration of free African Americans to Africa (Dec 9-21), stethoscope is invented in France, E. Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_5114” align=“alignright” width=“405”]Black Monday: Edward III vows to end the wars[/caption] In the year 1360, Edward III marches on Paris (Apr 5), but a freak hail storm devastates his army on Black Monday (Apr 13), Edward III gives then up his claim to the French throne in return for Calais & Gascony (Oct 24), King Valdemar Atterdag of Denmark reconquers Scania, Sweden’s since 1332, Muhammed VI overthrows his brother-in-law as King of Granada (in present-day Spain), but is shortly after overthrown by the former king, Muhammed V - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

when the Olympic Gold Medalist in men’s javelin, Jan Zelezný, threw his world record of 98.48 meters in Jena, Germany back in May 1996, there was a little boy of four years of age living in that same city who would become a future Olympic Champion in his own right?  That little boy was Thomas Röhler, and he won his Olympic Gold in Rio Janeiro 20 years later in August 2016. Continue reading

In the year 1721, Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister of Britain (Apr 4), the Treaty of Nystad is signed, ending the Great Northern War (Sep 10), Peter I is proclaimed Emperor of All the Russians whereby the Tsardom of Russia ceases to exist (Nov 2), regular mail service between London and New England is established – and all these fine people were born: 1721-xxxx José Eusebio de Llano Zapata* scholar/writer/scientist - Lima, Peru (1780/c. Continue reading

In the year 2005, the Huygens spacecraft lands on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, discovered in 1655 (Jan 14), the video-sharing website YouTube is created (Feb 14), and Me at the zoo becomes the first such video uploaded (Apr 23), the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is launched towards Mars (Aug 12), Hurricane Katrina hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing hundreds (Aug 29), the trial of Saddam Hussein begins (Oct 19), the first proven case of someone cured of HIV is presented (Nov 13) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Let’s have yet another piece in the series Who Said That! Try to guess/remember first who said that, and if you don’t know, you’ll see who it was at the very end of this article. Remember to scroll s l o w l y. Who said: “I AM FREE OF ALL PREJUDICE. I HATE EVERYONE EQUALLY." A hint: This person’s comic persona was misanthropic and egotistic, he appeared to have contempt for dogs and children, but despite all that he still managed to remain a pretty sympathetic character. Continue reading

In the year 1872, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City (Feb 20), Yellowstone National Park becomes the world’s first national park (Mar 1), the New Zealand Wars end after 17 years (May 15), trade unions become legal in Canada (Jun 14), American suffragist Susan B. Anthony votes in the U.S. presidential election in defiance of the law (Nov 5), the Great Boston Fire takes place (Nov 9), Challenger expedition which will lay the foundation for oceanography takes off from Portsmouth, England (Dec 21) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_4829” align=“alignleft” width=“289”]Buzz Aldrin in 1969[/caption] Twelve men have walked on the Moon, so far. The Apollo Moon landings took place between 1969 and 1972, and for whatever reason and quite surprisingly, man has not been there since. Here is anyway a list of all these twelve lunar astronauts. Of them four are still alive (as of August 2018) with Harrison Schmitt being the most recent living person to have set his foot on our satellite. Continue reading

In the year 1420, King Charles VI of France acknowledges Henry V of England as his heir, and virtual ruler of most of France (May 21), construction of the dome of Florence Cathedral begins (Aug 7), Beijing is officially designated as the capital of the Ming Dynasty (Oct 28), construction begins of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing - and all these fine people were born: 1420-xxxx Tomás de Torquemada* Grand Inquisitor – Torquemada(? Continue reading