If you are a frequent reader of the year files here in Journeys of Life, you may have noticed that there is an increasing number of empty spaces in many of the files. Dates with no names after them. This serves two purposes. Firstly, it makes editing easier when adding new entries. Secondly - and a far more important purpose - it gives you a reminder that you as a reader (and hopefully a patreon) can always fill those empty places with your own relatives and ancestors, to any of the years that we have here (which is quite a few). Continue reading

In the year 1556, Swedish forces are victorious in the Russian attack on Viborg (Jan), the deadliest earthquake on record occurs in Ming dynasty (Jan 23), the Archbishop of Canterbury is burned at the stake for treason (Mar 21) Queen Mary I of England (Bloody Mary) starts the Plantations of Ireland, the earliest attempt at systematic ethnic cleansing in Ireland, Ivan the Terrible conquers Astrakhan, thus opening the Volga River to Russian traffic and trade - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Here is something that all our lives depend on. Love. We give you first the word in the languages below, and then for some of them a piece of music about love! Later on more songs will be added here, and you are very welcome to suggest one! CHINESE ?? 愛 Ài - DANISH ?? Kærlighed - DUTCH ?? Liefde - ENGLISH ????????????? Love - Dance Me to the End of Love (Leonard Cohen 1984) - Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan 1997, here performed by Adele) Continue reading

This time in First Names First the name will be Krista. A name that you can pick out in quite a few countries today. Why don’t you pick one of the names below, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about the person, and see what if anything she could contribute your life with. Spend a couple of minutes of your life with this. Lives lived have all something to tell us – let them! Continue reading

In the year 1280, troops of the Emirate of Granada defeat those of the Kingdom of Castile and Kingdom of León (Jun 23), King Magnus III of Sweden founds a Swedish nobility, by enacting a law accepting a contribution of a cavalry member in lieu of ordinary tax payments (Sep 27), the Ancestors of the Māori people from eastern Polynesia become the first human settlers of New Zealand - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

New Orleans - La Nouvelle-Orléans in French - is the city this time around in our monthly series Streets & Squares. It is one of the three U.S. cities that we present here this year. New Orleans is located along the Mississippi River in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Founded in 1718 by French colonists, New Orleans was once the territorial capital of French Louisiana before becoming part of the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Continue reading

The celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg, as printed in an illustrated news notice in April 1561 In the year 1561, the citizens of Nuremberg see what appears to be an aerial battle, followed by the appearance of a large black triangular object and a large crash outside the city (Apr 14), the English astrologer Francis Coxe is pilloried in London for his involvement in “sinistral and divelysh artes” (Jun 25), Madrid is declared the capital of Spain (May 8), Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow is finished (Jul 12) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Council of Trent, painting in the Museo del Palazzo del Buonconsiglio in Trento In the year 1563, Sarsa Dengel succeeds his father Menas as Emperor of Ethiopia (Feb 1), bubonic plague breaks out in London, killing thousands (Jun), the Northern Seven Years' War begins as Denmark–Norway and the Free City of Lübeck declare war against Kingdom of Sweden (Aug 13), the Council of Trent (opened in 1545) officially closes, reaffirming all major Roman Catholic doctrines (Dec 4) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Another piece in our series First Names First! This time about Kurt. 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. PS. The year of birth given in brackets. Continue reading

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, painted ca 1495-1498 In the year 1497, Amerigo Vespucci allegedly leaves Cádiz for his first voyage to the New World (May 10), Vasco da Gama’s fleet departs from Lisbon, beginning his expedition to India (Jul 8), King of Denmark defeats Sten Sture the Elder at the Battle of Rotebro in Sweden (Sep 28), the Dominican church Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, containing the mural of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, is completed – and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

the term baker’s dozen has a pretty ancient origin? What we mean with it is any group of 13 (of baked products), i.e. a dozen plus one. But how did it come to be? It is thought to come from the former practice among bakers and other tradespeople in medieval England of giving 13 items to the dozen as a safeguard against penalties for short weights and measures. Thing is, you might even get a beating if your pieces of bread were too small. Continue reading

Mimura Iechika (1517–1566) In the year 1566, one of the first gun assassinations in Japanese (if not world) history takes place as Mimura Iechika is shot dead (Endo Ma (Feb 24), the foundation stone of Valletta, the future capital city of Malta, is laid (Mar 28), the construction of the white marble bridge across the river Neretva at Mostar (in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina) begins (Jul 19) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This time in First Names First Ruth. Another biblical name like the one we had two weeks ago, Seth. Pick one of the names below, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about the person, and see what if anything she could contribute your life with. Spend a couple of minutes of your life with this. Lives lived have all something to tell us – let them! Ruth Gordon* actress /screenwriter/playwright – Quincy, MA USA (1896) Continue reading

In the year 1508, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, attacks the Republic of Venice (Feb), Lebna Dengel succeeds his father Na’od as Emperor of Ethiopia (Aug), Michelangelo begins painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Holy See of Rome (Dec), the Church of San Rocco in Venice is completed - and all these fine people were born: 1508-0217 Bernardo Salviati* Italian condottiero/Roman Catholic Cardinal - Florence, Republic of Florence (1568/60) Continue reading

Time for a smaller city again. Namely Ystad in the county of Scania (Skåne in Swedish) in the southernmost part of Sweden. Some of the main industries of the town are trade, handicraft and tourism. Ystad is also the setting of the Swedish crime drama Wallander where the city layout becomes quite familiar. As always, clicking at the address will lead you to Google Maps, and clicking at the name to the person’s Wikipedia page. Continue reading

An example of the golden ratio. Picture credit Tom Blackwell In the year 1509, the Kingdom of France declares war on the Republic of Venice (Apr 7), Henry VIII becomes King of England (Apr 21), and marries Catherine of Aragon, Luca Pacioli’s De divina proportione, concerning the golden ratio, is published in Venice, with illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci (Jun 11), Maximillian I orders all Jews within the Holy Roman Empire to destroy all books opposing Christianity (Aug 19), Erasmus writes his most famous work, In Praise of Folly - and all of these fine people were born: Continue reading

William of Orange (1533-1584), leader of the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs In the year 1568, the Habsburgs agree to pay tribute to the Ottomans (Feb 17), Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England (May 16), where she is arrested by Queen Elizabeth I (May 19), William I of Orange invades the southeastern Netherlands (Oct 5), the Palace of Charles V in Granada is completed - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, reigned for close to ten years (1189-1999) As there is so little exact data of births this far back in time, we concentrate here on historical background information, for hobby historians and genealogists. There will be no individual posts of this decade. The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of the Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. Continue reading

Another one in First Names First! A chronological list of persons with their first name here. Pick one, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about that person, and see what if anything he could contribute your life with. Spend a couple of minutes of your life with this. Lives lived have all something to tell us – let them! This time it is about the name Seth. A familiar name from the Bible, as the third son of Adam and Eve, and brother of Cain and Abel. Continue reading

A product from the Beretta Gun Company: Beretta-92FS In the year 1526, the new Mughal emperor Babur begins the richest dynasty in the world, the Mughal Empire, which lasts until 1857 (Apr 21), the first complete printed translation of the New Testament into the English language by William Tyndale arrives in England from Germany (spring), Emperor Go-Nara ascends to the throne of Japan (Jun 9), gunsmith Bartolomeo Beretta establishes the Beretta Gun Company, one of the world’s oldest corporations, Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro and his brothers first reach Inca territory in South America - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading