In the year 2009, the first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin is mined (Jan 3), Miracle on the Hudson takes place (Jan 15), the Icelandic banking system collapses (Jan 26), NASA’s Kepler is launched, in search for extrasolar planets in the Milky Way (Mar 7), Bolivia becomes the first South American country to declare the right of indigenous people to govern themselves (Aug 3) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

New Year’s resolutions, anyone? Traditionally, many of them have to do with losing some of those extra pounds and kilos accumulated in December - or many consecutive Decembers for that matter. I myself have every now and then thought of how to make it really really easy to eat healthy snacks instead of resorting to chocolate for that little bit of fast energy. Never mind if you just ate a ton of chocolate in December, the craving for chocolate can be a perennial threat to being fit for many of us. Continue reading

This time in Who Said That! some Roman wisdom! Remember to s c r o l l down very slowly so you won’t reveal who said that ahead of time! A hint though: this person lived a very long time ago (naturally - Roman wisdom), but most of us may actually remember him from history classes at school. Especially if your history teacher - or you yourself - happened to be particularly interested in Roman history. Continue reading

If you are planning to welcome the year 2019 abroad, you might want to wish Happy New Year in the local language! Never mind the pronunciation, just trying to say it may get you some new friends! Cin cin! Here’s how it is said - or rather, written - in the following countries and regions:  Albania: Vitin e ri të lumtur! Armenia: Shnorhavor Nor Tari! Շնորհավոր Նոր Տարի Basque Country (Spain): Urte berri on! Continue reading

In the year 1769, James Watt receives his first patent for an early version of his revolutionary Watt steam engine (Jan 5), James Cook arrives in Tahiti (Apr 13), France conquers Corsica (May 9), the settlement of California begins with the Spanish missions along the coast (May 14), Daniel Boone first begins to explore modern-day Kentucky (Jun 7), spinning frame is patented in England, able to weave fabric mechanically (Jul 3), massive droughts in Bengal (Sep), James Cook lands in New Zealand (Oct 7) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

It is Wednesday, the 8th of April, 1668. Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt, daughter of a furrier and coachman in the German city of Erfurt, is about to marry Johann whom she has known since childhood. The wedding will take place in the old church, Kaufmannkirche, in Erfurt. Little does she know what impact that decision is going to have on the world. She is 24, he 23 years of age. Her future husband is a musician, and the home they will be sharing will one day be full of music! Continue reading

Yet another one in our series First Names First! Your “task” - should you accept it – is to pick one of the names 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. Lives lived have all something to tell us – let them! This time it’s all about Eva/Eeva/Eve/Evelyn Eva Tanguay* singer/entertainer/“The Queen of Vaudeville” - Marbleton, QC Canada (1878) Eva Dickson* (b Lindström) rally driver/aviator/travel writer - Steninge Slott, Sigtuna, Sweden (1905) Eve Arden* (b Eunice Mary Quedens) actress/comedian - Mill Valley, CA USA (1908) Evelyn Bryan Johnson* (b Stone) “Mama Bird”, the female pilot with the most number of flying hours in the world - Corbin, KY USA (1909) Eva Braun* Hitler’s wife – Munich, Bavaria, Germany (1912) Eva Gabor* actress /singer – Budapest, Hungarian Republic (1919) Eva Perón* First Lady/political activist – Los Toldos, Argentina (1919) Eeva Joenpelto* novelist – Sammatti, Finland (1921) Eva-Marie Saint* actress – Newark, NJ USA (1924) Eeva Kilpi* writer/feminist – Hiitola, Finland (1928) Eeva Ahtisaari* teacher/First Lady – Varkaus, Finland (1936) Eeva Tikka* writer – Ristiina, Finland (1939) Eeva-Riitta Siitonen* politician – Helsinki, Finland (1940) Eeva Litmanen* actress – Lappeenranta, Finland (1944) Efva Attling* silversmith/entrepreneur - Stockholm, Sweden (1952) Evelyn Ashford* athlete/ sprinter/OG – Shreveport, LA USA (1957) Eva Dahlgren* singer (Roxette) - Umeå, Sweden (1960) pic Eva Mendes* actress – Miami, FL USA (1974) Eva Longoria* actress/ producer/ activist – Corpus Christi, TX USA (1975) NB. Continue reading

In the year 1644, the first livestock branding law in America is passed (Feb 5 ), Chinese rebels sack Beijing, causing ultimately the collapse of the Ming Dynasty (Apr 25), Beijing is recaptured, and Manchu rule over China proper begins (Jun 6), the English Civil War goes on, Sigismund Column is erected in Warsaw, Abel Tasman maps the north coast of Australia, and all these fine people were born: 1644-xxxx Antonio Stradivari* luthier/ violin maker – Cremona, Italy (1737/ca92-93) Continue reading

This time in Streets & Squares we go to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Lots of eponymous streets here! You might also see the name Reval in lots of places - that’s the old name for Tallinn. A short vocabulary to assist you in orienting in this lovely Hanseatic city: maantee (road), park (park), plats (square), torn (tower), tänav (street). Most street names in Tallinn lack the word street though, and are solely identified by the short form or the bearer of the street in question. Continue reading

If you ever check the lists of birth dates here, you may have noticed that the 20th century has long since been completed. Now the same applies to the 19th century. So that makes a minimum 200 consecutive years that each have their own page with some background information and some appropriate picture attached, and of course the list of birth dates. These pages are being continually updated whenever some relevant information shows up. Continue reading

In the year 1774, the volunteer fire company of Trenton, New Jersey - possibly the oldest in the U.S. - is founded (Feb 7), the first Continental Congress assembles in Philadelphia (Sep 5), compulsory education for children aged 6-12 is set by Archduchess Maria Theresa, the ruler of Austria, Hungary and Croatia (Dec 6), Captain James Cook discovers several islands, German cobbler Johann Birkenstock creates the first Birkenstock sandals - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Who hasn’t heard the axiom A smile a day lengthens life. A smile can go a long way to brighten a day. It feels good to smile, but it may feel even better to bring a smile on someone else’s face. Smiling can trick your brain into happiness. The mere act of smiling can lift your mood, boost your immune system and possibly even prolong your life. WE SHALL NEVER KNOW ALL THE GOOD Continue reading

In the year 1799, a ten percent income tax is introduced in Great Britain to raise funds for its war effort in the Napoleonic Wars (Jan 9), the Rosetta Stone is found at the port city of Rosetta by the river Nile in Egypt (Jul 15), HMS Lutine sinks off the Dutch coast, the bell of which is now used for ceremonial purposes in London (Oct 9), France adopts the meter as its official unit of length (Dec 10) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Here’s another one in our Monthly Latin series. The phrase you see below is just as eternal as any other Latin phrase, and probably known by at least some of you. But do you know where it originates from? Read on and you will.  Disce ut semper victurus, vive ut cras moriturus  Learn as if always going to live; live as if tomorrow going to die. What a superb sentence that is! Continue reading

Another one in our series First Names First! Your “task” - should you accept it – is to pick one of the names below, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about the person, and to see what if anything he could contribute your life with. Lives lived have all something to tell us – let them! This time it’s all about Adam! Adam Smith* economist/philosopher – Kirkcaldy, Scotland (1723) Adam Afzelius* botanist – Larv, Västergötland, Sweden (1750) Adam Opel* industrialist – Rüsselsheim, Hesse, Prussia (1837) Adam West* actor (Batman) – Walla Walla, WA USA (1928) Adam Arkin* actor – Brooklyn, NY USA (1956) Adam Baldwin* actor – Chicago, IL USA (1962) Adam Shankman* actor/director/ producer – Los Angeles, CA USA (1964) Adam Sandler* actor – Brooklyn, NY USA (1966) Adam Savage* special effects designer/Myth Buster – New York, NY USA (1967) Adam Alsing* television and radio presenter - Karlstad, Sweden (1967) Adam Goldberg* actor – Santa Monica, CA USA (1970) Adam Scott* actor/producer/ podcaster – Santa Cruz, CA USA (1973) Adam Rodriguez* actor/ screenwriter/director – New York, NY USA (1975) Adam Nelson* athlete/shotput – Atlanta, GA USA (1975) Adam Rayner* actor – Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England (1977) Adam Malysz* ski jumper – Wisla, Poland (1977) Adam Lambert* singer/ songwriter – Indianapolis, IN USA (1982) Adam Driver* actor – San Diego, CA USA (1983) picture Adam Buckingham* acrobatic gymnast (Spelbound) – England (1988) Adam McAssey* acrobatic gymnast (Spelbound) – England (1989) Adam Klein* homeless shelter manager/Survivor S33 – Burlingame, CA USA (1991) Adam Lowry* hockey player – St. Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_6241” align=“alignleft” width=“329”]Australian Aboriginals Flag[/caption] Australia apologizes to the Stolen Generations, i.e. the Aboriginal Australians (Feb 13), bionic eyes are successfully implanted into two blind patients in London (Apr 22), Canada apologizes to the country’s First Nations for the Canadian Indian residential school system (Jun 11), SpaceX Falcon 1 becomes the world’s first privately developed space launch vehicle to successfully make orbit (Sep 28), Spotify music streaming service is launched in Sweden (Oct 7), Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System is published (Nov 1) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This is 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. But it does come handy when needing to answer who was the 33rd president of the United States in Who Wants to be A Millionaire! Continue reading

Jerry Springer - whose show The Jerry Springer Show just recently ended after having run for close to 27 years - was born in a London bomb shelter in 1944 to two Jewish refugees who had fled from the Nazi holocaust? And that he, after having majored in political science, and then getting his law degree in 1968, worked as a political campaign adviser for Robert F. Kennedy till Kennedy was assassinated? Continue reading

The Rosetta Stone is brought to England (Feb), Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is published (Mar 3), Madame Tussaud first exhibits her wax sculptures in London (May), Napoleon reinstates slavery in the French colonies (May 20), war ends between Sweden and Tripoli (Oct 2), child labor in U.K. factories starts being regulated, pioneering a series of Factory Acts (Dec 2) - and all these fine people were born: 1802-xxxx Kamāmalu* Queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as the wife of King Kamehameha II - Kawaihae, Hawaii (1824/c. Continue reading

Here’s yet another piece in Who Said That! Try to guess or remember first who said that, and if you still don’t know, you’ll see who it was at the very end of the article. Remember to scroll down s l o w l y so you won’t reveal the name beforehand. “HAPPINESS IS NOTHING MORE BUT GOOD HEALTH AND A BAD MEMORY” Anyone can attest to the fact that good health promotes happiness. Continue reading