This time in Monthly Latin about the fact that we human beings, as we learn all sorts of things about the world and ourselves and how we could use that knowledge and our special talents to advance our own interests, we mustn’t at the same time forget to contribute to the greater good of humanity as well. We are all fallible, all capable of making mistakes or being wrong for the simple reason that no one – quite naturally – can be expert on all facets of life. Continue reading

Jude Meinhart - Apr 4, 2020It was helpful. Keep on posting! Very good info. Lucky me I discovered your site by accident (stumbleupon). I have saved it for later! Thank you! I’m glad you found something interesting. More articles coming up on a pretty regular basis :) Thanks for your comment Jude! Sorry it took a while to respond. I sure will keep on posting, in First Names First as well as all the other article series and the individual articles. Continue reading

This time in First Names First we will concentrate on George, one of the most popular boys' names through the ages. Other forms of George included here are Georg and Georges. Since there are so many Georges, maximum five names per decade are shown. George of Podebrady* King of Bohemia – Podèbrady Castle, Bohemia (1420) Georg von Peuerbach* astronomer/ mathematician/instrument maker – Linz, Austria (1423) George Sandys* traveller/colonist/poet – Bishopsthorpe, England (1578) Continue reading

In the year 1589, King Henry III of France and his designated successor, Henry of Navarre, besiege Paris (Jan), Henry III is assassinated (Aug 1), and dies (Aug 2), monks in the Pechenga Monastery are massacred by the Swedes in the Russo-Swedish War (Dec 25), Hiroshima is founded, the Bavarian brewery Hofbräuhaus is founded - and all these fine people were born: 1589-0108Ivan Gundulić* Croatian poet - Dubrovnik, Republic of Ragisa (1638/49) Continue reading

Bonngasse 515, Bonn two German composers, Johann Peter Salomon (1745-1815) and Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) were both born at Bonngasse 515 in Bonn, Germany? 35 years apart from each other. Beethoven who knew Salomon from his days in Bonn, wrote to fellow composer Ferninand Ries on hearing of his death, “Salomon’s death grieves me much, for he was a noble man, and I remember him since I was a child.” Continue reading

In the year 1789, George Washington is elected as the first president of the United States (Feb 4), mutiny on HMS Bounty takes place (Apr 28), the French Revolution begins (Jul 14), William Herschel discovers Saturn’s moon Enceladus (Aug 28), r French physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin proposes the use of a special device to carry out executions in France in a more human manner (Oct 10), Thomas Jefferson introduces the macaroni machine to United States from his trip to Europe - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

And. A word that never appears alone. Always preceded by something, and followed by something. Although it may sometimes start a sentence. But always loaded with promise and hope of continuation. So a very positive word, right? Which by itself doesn’t mean a thing. We’ll, of course it can be involved in a list of sinister things as well. And was also the first foreign word that I learned. We kids always walked to school, situated a couple of miles from our home. Continue reading

This time in First Names First it is all about Donna. It is Italian for “woman”, the original meaning being closer to “lady of the home”. It was a title of respect in Italy, equivalent to “Don” for men. Donna Reed* actress – Denison, IA USA (1921) pic Donna Axum* beauty pageant/author/philanthropist – El Dorado, AR USA (1942) Donna Leon* author – Montclair, NJ USA (1942) Donna Fargo* country singer – Mount Airy, NC USA (1945) Continue reading

Another one in our article series One Day in the Life of. November 24th, 2018 was supposed to be just another Saturday night for pastor Christopher Haley from Winnipeg as he was watching the match between Winnipeg Jets and hometeam St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Canadian supermarket chain Safeway (owned by Sobeys) has a continual promotion called “Score & Win” where it randomly selects a shopper to potentially win prizes for a player’s achievements. Continue reading

This is part in the article series Streets and Squares that provide some interesting 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 go to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The Danish name of the city, København, descends from the old Norse Kaupmannahofn, meaning merchants' harbor. Some vocabulary to help you along the way: allé (avenue), bro (bridge), gade (street), plads (square) Continue reading

One thing about living up in the northern latitudes is that you know for sure that it will eventually get dark pretty early in the day. And to be on the safe side in traffic, it is a good idea to have a safety reflector attached somewhere on your clothes, backpack or bag. It is in fact mandatory to wear one in countries like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We are all used to seeing reflective clothing worn professionally. Continue reading

In the year 1530, Florence is captured by Spanish troops (Aug 3), flood engulfs Rome (Oct 8), The Knights of Malta are formed (Oct 26), Martim Afonso de Sousa’s expedition sets out for the Americas from Portugal (Dec), Erasmus publishes A handbook on manners for children – and all these fine people were born: 1530-xxxx Jean Nicot de Villemain* diplomat/ scholar/famous for being the first to bring tobacco to France - Nîmes, Kingdom of France (1604/c. Continue reading

The words we didn’t say. How they haunt us sometimes. Maybe more than the words we did say. Even if those too might haunt us. At some point of your life you may realize that - despite all the inherent intentions of verbalizing your thoughts, encouraging your loved ones to spread their wings and soar high, expressing your love towards them, being a dear aunt or uncle, showing how much you actually care - you actually haven’t done much any of that. Continue reading

So another one in our recurring series First Names First. This time it is Donald, according to this little sample here most common especially in the 1930’s. 1897-0620 Donald Keyhoe* naval aviator/ufologist – Ottumwa, Iowa USA (1988/91) 1919-1005 Donald Pleasance* actor – Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England (1995/75) 1926-0921 Donald A. Glaser* physicist/neurobiologist/N – Cleveland, OH USA (2013/86) 1930-1226 Donald Moffat* actor – Plymouth, Devon England (2018/87) 1932-0709Donald Rumsfeld* businessman/politician – Evanston, IL USA Continue reading

is a new article series here in Journeys of Life. It can entail most anything, and is really about creative writing - as opposed to some other article series here. The publication date will be the 8th of each month. The When can be a beginning of a question sentence, or a story that follows. These stories will typically be short ones, but can be long-reads as well. So we always start with When, and go on from there. Continue reading

two great industrialists - and later philanthropists - were born two days apart in July 1839? One on Long Island, New York, the other in Kastel, Germany. John from New York built an empire around oil, Adolphus from Kastel around beer. 1839-0708 John D. Rockefeller Sr.* industrialist/philanthropist - Long Island, NY USA (97) 1839-0710 Adolphus Busch* co-founder of Anheuser-Busch/philanthropist - Kastel, Hesse, Germany (1913/74) If you happen to be in Manhattan in New York City, it is pretty hard not to notice the name Rockefeller. Continue reading

1545-xxxx John Gerard* botanist/author - Nantwich, Cheshire, England (1612/c.66) 1545-xxxx Jaakko Ilkka* landowner/ rebel leader – Ilmajoki, Sweden-Finland (1597/c.55) 1545-0101 Magnus Heinason* Faroese naval hero/trader/privateer - Faroe Islands (1589/44) 1545-0111 Guidobaldo del Monte* mathematician/ philosopher/ astronomer - Pesaro, Italy (1607/61)

Ericka Stadden - Feb 1, 2020very interesting details you have remarked, thankyou for posting. Hi Ericka, and thanks a lot for your comment! I’m currently writing my first Newsletter, and you’ll be getting it soon too!

Potosí in modern-day Bolivia, 2003 In the year 1545, the Scots defeat the numerically superior English forces at the Battle of Ancrum Moor (Feb 27), the Spanish conquistadores found the mining town Potosí, the huge silver deposits of which provide most of the wealth on which the Spanish Empire is based (Apr 1), Spanish explorer Ortiz de Retez sets out to navigate the northern coast of New Guinea (Jun 13), Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, is sunk by the French (Jul 18) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Let’s learn some Hawaiian this time around in Language Day. It is a Polynesian language and, along with English, the official language of the State of Hawaii. Read more about its background and politics here. This article will deal solely with the language itself. The Hawaiian alphabet has 13 letters. That is a lot less than in most languages. There are five vowels: a, e, i, o, and u - each with a long pronunciation and a short one. Continue reading