douglas adams inspired “Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy” H2G2 Another piece in our series First Names First! This time about Douglas, sometimes shortened as Doug. 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. Continue reading

Daniel Defoe standing in the pillory in London. Photo credit Wellcome Library, London In the year 1703, Saint Petersburg is founded, following Peter the Great’s reconquest of Ingria from Sweden (May 27), Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for publishing his satirical political pamphlet The Shortest Way with the Dissenters (Jul 29), the first complete census in the world is completed in Iceland (Jun), the Man in the Iron Mask dies in the Bastille, France (Nov 19) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1747, the first venereal diseases clinic opens in London (Jan 31), a combined French and Indian force attacks and defeats British troops at Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia (Feb 11), the Knowles Riot breaks out in Boston, protesting impressment into the British Royal Navy (Nov 17), James Lind’s experiment begins to prove that citrus fruits prevent scurvy, remains of the Temple of Apollo are discovered in Malta - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Another great quote in our series Who Said That! A very current one these days with the ongoing idiosyncrasies of one Western politician, as opposed to those of a more accepted and honorable ways of behavior of one in a public office. Do you know who said this: “A statesman is he who thinks in the future generations, and a politician is he who thinks in the upcoming elections”. There are politicians from all layers of society, with different backgrounds and varying abilities to handle the affairs of state or community. Continue reading

In these times of COVID-19 when traveling is scarce for whatever reason and wherever we are, it’s great to have access to the simple pleasures of Google’s Street View. Walking down the streets, driving through areas, watching what we might find behind a corner - even if some maps do need some updating too. And planning perhaps some future trip. So let’s explore a bit. À la Language Day. Let’s see how the word map translates in different languages. Continue reading

In the year 1760, the Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings (Mar 20), George III ascends to the English throne, to rule the next 60 years (Oct 25), the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) is raging on in Europe and the Americas, and eventually ends France’s position as a major colonial power in the Americas, Abu Dhabi is founded - and all these fine people were born: 1760-0119 Patrick Cotter O’Brien* gigantic showman - Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland (1806/46) 1760-0203 John Storm* American Revolutionary soldier - Latimore Township, Pennsylvania (1835/75) 1760-0310 Leandro Fernández de Moratín* dramatist/poet/translator - Madrid, Spain (1828/68) 1760-0501 1760-0503 William Scoresby* arctic navigator - Cropton, Yorkshire, England (1829/69) 1760-0510 Johann Peter Hebel* teacher/poet - Basel, German Empire (1826/66) 1760-0529 Charlotte Slottberg* ballerina-dancer - Stockholm, Sweden (1800/40) 1760-0605 Johan Gadolin* chemist/physicist/ mineralogist - Turku, Sweden-Finland (1852/92) 1760-0904 Knut von Troil* Finnish officer/civil servant/senator - Uppsala, Sweden (1825/65) 1760-1031 Katsushika Hokusai* painter of the famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa - Edo, Japan (1849/88) 1760-1121 Joseph Plumb Martin* American Revolutionary soldier/ narrative author - Becket, Province of Massachusetts Bay (1850/89) 1760-1214 Pehr von Afzelius* physician/professor - Larv, Västergötland, Sweden (1843/82) 1760-1217Deborah Sampson* first American female soldier - Plympton, Massachusetts, British America (1827/66) 1760-0 1760-0 1760-0 Updated 2024-1231 Helsinki Search for another year here

Yet another piece in our series First Names First! This time about Jill! It is a short form of the name Jillian (Gillian), which in turn originates as a Middle English variant of Juliana, the feminine form of the name Julian. Below is a chronological list of some of the women born with that name. Pick one and then follow the Wikipedia link to read about these women, and see what if anything they could contribute your life with. Continue reading

In the year 1764, the Sugar Act is passed in Great Britain, instrumental in the events leading to the American Revolution (Apr 5), eight-year-old child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performs a private concert before King George III and Queen Charlotte in Great Britain (Apr 27), Baden becomes the first member state of the Confederation of Switzerland to declare a policy of remaining neutral in future conflicts, setting the basis for Swiss neutrality from 1815 onward (May 3), the oldest surviving newspaper in North America, the English-language Quebec Gazette, is established (Jun 21), the last British troops depart Havana as agreed in the treaty between Spain and Great Britain; Spain cedes West Florida to Great Britain for Cuba (Jul 6) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

We head in Streets & Squares this time to a slightly smaller city or shall we say town. Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. As always in Streets & Squares, clicking on the address links leads you to Google Maps, and clicking on the names to the person’s Wikipedia page. ANN STREET - Ann Edgar, wife of the portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756-1823). Raeburn designed Ann Street, and named it after his wife. Continue reading

St. Olaf’s Church in Tallinn, Estonia In the year 1549, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil’s first capital, is founded (Mar 29), Francis Xavier arrives in Japan (Jul 27), the spire of Lincoln Cathedral in England is blown down,** leaving St. Olaf’s Church in Tallinn as the world’s tallest structure** - and all these fine people were born: 1549-0126 Francesco Bassano the Younger* painter - Bassano del Grappa, Venetian Republic (1592/43) 1549-0204 Eustache Du Caurroy* (B) composer - Gerberoy, France (1609/60) Continue reading

After a long while, let us have another piece in the article series Who Said That! We present a quotation, a few ideas around it, and finally the person behind it. There are so many good quotes by people throughout history that reflect the complexities of life that do not change a whole lot, no matter which era you live in. So, who said: “Life is the farce that everyone has to perform. Continue reading

In honor of the president-elect, let’s have this time in First Names First the name Joe! Often short for Joseph. Pick one of the names below, follow the Wikipedia link to read about the person, and then see what if anything he could contribute your life with. Inspiration, passion, enlightenment, encouragement, empathy, etc. Or just thoughts for the day. Give a couple of minutes of your life to this. Lives lived may all have something worthwhile to tell us – let them! Continue reading

Flag of the city of Wilmington, built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America In the year 1638, settlers from Sweden arrive on the ships and establish the settlement of New Sweden in Delaware, thus beginning the Swedish colonization of the Americas (Mar 29), Spanish troops defeat the Dutch in the Battle of Kallo near Antwerp (Jun 20), the Dutch settle in Ceylon and colonize Mauritius, the Finnish postal service is founded, New Haven, the first planned city in America, is founded - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota Here’s to you, president-elect Joe Biden! And all you readers of Journeys of Life. Something that Americans are supposed to know by heart early on - the names of U.S. Presidents. And something that only a few master all their lives. Of course, there’s no need to do that either. There are things far more important to remember, and only so much space and time to contain all the information we are supposed to digest in this digital age of ours. Continue reading

In the year 2019, Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi, becoming the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula (Feb 2), all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are grounded worldwide after two disastrous crashes (Mar 10), Julian Assange is arrested after spending seven years in Ecuador’s embassy in London (Apr 11), astronomers announce the first discovery of water in habitable zone of an exoplanet (Sep 11), Greenland and Antarctica keep melting away, protests in Hong Kong go on, and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

The rebuilt Boston Light from 1783 In the year 1716, the town of Crieff in Scotland is burned to the ground by Jacobites returning from a battle (Jan), the seventh Ottoman–Venetian War begins, but the Ottoman Empire unsuccessfully lays siege to Corfu (Jul 8), America’s first lighthouse, Boston Light, is built (destroyed in the American Revolution but later rebuilt), the pirate Blackbeard is given command of a Bermuda sloop in the Bahamas - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1737, French scientists publish the first study of correlating past weather conditions with an examination of tree rings (Feb 27), the oldest existing English language newspaper in the world, The News Letter, is founded in Belfast, Ireland (Sep 1), Benjamin Franklin creates the first city-paid force, the Philadelphia Police Force, the direct male line of the Medici family becomes extinct, Richmond, Virginia is founded - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1627” align=“alignright” width=“438”]Australia discoveries by Europeans before 1813[/caption] In the year 1770, the Boston Massacre takes place - an event that helps start the American Revolution five years later (Mar 3), James Cook and his crew complete the circumnavigation of New Zealand (Mar 26) and later become the first recorded Europeans to encounter the eastern coastline of the Australian continent (Apr 18), 14-year old Marie Antoinette marries Louis-Auguste, the future King Louis XVI, in Paris (May 7), James Cook claims the whole of eastern coast of Australia for Great Britain, later naming it New South Wales (Aug 22) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

King Gustav III of Sweden In the year 1772, a group of white settlers in today’s Tennessee create the first non-colonial government body in British North America (May 8), the credit crisis of 1772 triggers financial panic and threatens the East India Company with bankruptcy (Jun 10), the second voyage of James Cook departs from Plymouth (Jul 13), a coup d’état by King Gustav III ends half a century of parliamentary rule in Sweden (Aug 21), Scottish scientist Daniel Rutherford discovers nitrogen, isolating it from air - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This time in “First Names First” it is all about Jodie! It is a unisex given name, but here we deal with only the female side of it. Follow one of the 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. Jodie Evans* political activist/author/ documentary film producer – Las Vegas, NV USA (1954) Continue reading