In the year 1875, the first performance of the opera Carmen takes place in Paris, and the very first indoor hockey game is played in Montreal (Mar 3), an Egyptian invasion of Ethiopia fails (Sep 7), the Ottoman state declares partial bankruptcy and places its finances in the hands of European creditors (Oct 1), the Theosophical Society is founded in New York (Oct 30) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1708” align=“alignright” width=“355”]Mosque of Muhammad Ali in Cairo[/caption] In the year 1805, Thomas Jefferson is sworn in for a second term as president of the United States (Mar 4), Napoleon is crowned King of Italy (May 26), most of Detroit is destroyed in fires (Jun 4), Muhammad Ali Pasha, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt, rises to power (Jul 9), Sweden declares war on France (Oct 31), the Lewis and Clark expedition arrives at the Pacific Ocean (Nov 7), the French Republican Calendar featuring 10-day weeks is used for the last time (Dec 31), the Napoleonic Wars go on - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Hi there! My name is Tarja Kivi, and I started with this site through Blogspot in 2008. As of March 2018 Journeys of Life is a Wordpress site. All the material has now been transferred to this site. Who am I then? I was born in Helsinki, Finland. Emigrated to Stockholm, Sweden in 1977 and lived there for 17 years. After which I lived a few months in Largo, Florida. Been back in Helsinki since 1995. Continue reading

This being a blog - at least for now - there is typically a date stamp attached to each article. Hopefully no one is bothered about that too much for nothing in this blog remains the same for long. The blog is continually being updated and refreshed. New persons are added, new data is filled in to already existing files and there will also be new article series. Like at the moment the one that concentrates on singular people as a homage to them. Continue reading

In the year 1739, Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne, there among the famous Koh-i-Noor (Mar 20), the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is founded in Stockholm, Sweden (Jun 2), Great Britain declares war on Spain, part of the reason being to provide for better trading opportunities in the Caribbean for Britain, and part being able to continue selling slaves in Spanish America (Oct 23) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1866, the first daylight bank robbery in the United States takes place in Liberty, Missouri, probably committed by Jesse James and his gang (Feb 13), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City (Apr 10), the telegraph cable between Ireland and Newfoundland, i.e. across the Atlantic Ocean, is successfully laid (Jul 27), the United States Congress legally authorizes metric measure, which fails to gain ground though (Jul 28), Alfred Nobel invents dynamite in Germany - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1590” align=“alignleft” width=“392”]The White House South Facade[/caption] In the year 1800, Alessandro Volta describes his new invention, the chemical battery (Mar 20), Napoleon and his French army begin crossing the Alps (May 15), smallpox vaccine, in existence since 1796, is first used in North America (Jun 2), assent is given to unite the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland (Aug 1), Spain returns Louisiana to France in exchange for the Tuscany area of Italy (Oct 1), John Adams becomes the first U. Continue reading

In the year 1885, the first successful appendectomy is performed (Jan 4), roller coaster is patented (Jan 20), the first Japanese arrive in Hawaii (Feb 9), the Washington Monument is dedicated (Feb 21), AT&T is incorporated in New York (Mar 3), Good Housekeeping goes on sale for the first time (May 2), the Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor (Jun 17), the rabies vaccine is successfully tested (Jul 6), Daimler Reitwagen - regarded as the first motorcycle - is granted patent in Germany (Aug 29) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_79” align=“alignright” width=“267”]Queen Victoria at age 18[/caption] In the year 1837, Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist begins publication in serial form in London (Feb), Seminoles attack Fort Foster in Florida (Feb 4), the city of Chicago is incorporated (Mar 4), British businessmen Proctor and Gample begin selling their first manufactured goods such as soap and candles in Cincinnati, Ohio (Apr 12), the financial crisis named Panic of 1837 begins in New York City (May 10), Queen Victoria accedes the throne of United Kingdom at age 18 after her uncle dies (Jun 20), in the Canadas, there is organized rebellion against the British colonial rule - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1522” align=“alignright” width=“322”]A modern set of Faber-Castell color pencils[/caption] In the year 1761, the British capture Pondicherry in India from the French (Jan 16), a transit of Venus occurs, and is observed from 120 locations around the Earth (Jun 6), the slave trade to and within Portugal is forbidden (Sep 19), in the Seven Years' War, the Russians take after four months of siege the Prussian fortress of Kolberg (only to lose it later) (Dec 16), the tune to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is published in France, Faber-Castell Company is founded in Nuremburg, Germany - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1469” align=“alignleft” width=“366”]Seminole Indians (courtesy of thedailycheck.net)[/caption] In the year 1818, the reign of the Bernadotte begins in Sweden (Feb 5), Chile proclaims its independence from Spain (Feb 12), General Andrew Jackson and his American army invade Florida (Mar 15), Stars & Stripes is adopted as the flag of the United States, at the time with 20 stars (Apr 4), the justification of invading Florida is discussed in the U. Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1442” align=“alignleft” width=“296”]A painting by George Catlin (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)[/caption] In the year 1832, a cholera epidemic claims lives in London, and spreads later to France and North America (Feb 12), the Mormon leader Joseph Smith experiences firsthand the persecution of Mormons in Ohio (Mar 24), the Black Hawk War begins (Apr 6), Modern Greece is born as the Treaty of London creates an independent Kingdom of Greece (May 7), Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, dies at age 95 (Nov 14), Andrew Jackson is re-elected president (Dec 3), painter George Catlin starts to live among the Plains Indians, depicting them in his portraits and paintings in their native territory - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1861, throughout the year, several U.S. states secede from the Union (Jan-Dec), Abraham Lincoln escapes a probable assassination attempt (Feb 23), serfdom is abolished in the Russian Empire (Mar 3), Lincoln becomes the 16th president of a United States at the brink of a civil war, while the Stars and Bars becomes the flag of the Confederate States of America (Mar 4), the American Civil War begins with the bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, which falls to South (Apr 12), Richmond in Virginia becomes the capital of the Confederate States (May 8), the mail service Pony Express announces its closure (Oct 26), the American Civil War rages on, until 1865 - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1862, the first railway opens in New Zealand (Feb 2), Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is published (Mar 31), Westminster Bridge is opened in London, England (May 24), the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the forerunner of IRS, is established in the United States (Jul 1), Otto von Bismarck becomes prime minister of Prussia (Sep 22), Abraham Lincoln reaffirms the necessity of ending slavery in his State of the Union address (Dec 1), the American Civil War (1861-1865) rages on - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This is the first article in the series of “Credit Where Credit is Due”. It is about John Barlow who passed away a few weeks ago. You can read about him in his Wikipedia page of course, and in The Economist. But also by following the link below kindly provided by Mary Cadly. The link opens an honorable article about this great man who had a lot to teach us, and who taught us by example. Continue reading

This article series is about giving credit where credit is due. The page presents a list that will gradually grow. For there are an endless amount of people that we could give credit to a hundred times over! The links below will lead you to some uplifting stories! About people who did spectacular things for their fellow human beings - whichever area of life they happened to be active in. Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1285” align=“alignleft” width=“359”]Credits to Drdpw - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0[/caption] The French occupy Utrecht, Netherlands (Jan 16), and later enter Amsterdam (Jan 20), the metric system is adopted in France (Apr 7), the Kingdom of Hawaii is founded (May 1), a large slave rebellion occurs in Curacao, suppressed the following month (Aug 17), the Alliance of St Petersburg is formed between Britain, Russia and Austria against France (Sep 28), the United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid, establishing the boundaries between Spanish colonies and the U. Continue reading

When campaigning for presidency, Abraham Lincoln makes a speech defending the right to strike (Mar 6), the First Taranaki War begins in Waitara as the Maori refuse to sell land to British settlers in New Zealand (Mar 17), Garibaldi’s forces take Palermo, the capital of Sicily (May 27), Vladivostok is founded in Russia (Jul 2), the First International Chemistry Congress is held in Karlsruhe, Baden (Sep 3), Charles Dickens publishes the first installment of Great Expectations in his magazine All the Year Round (Dec 1) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This is the first in the article series Streets and Squares that provide some interesting background information on street signs around the world. It is a fun way to learn about the history and culture of the cities you visit or even live in! We start out with Helsinki, the capital of Finland that celebrated its 100 years of independence December 2017. The picture here depicts the Senate Square Church behind Market Square with the South Harbor in front where the Silja Line passenger ferries depart to Stockholm, Sweden. Continue reading

[caption id=“attachment_1153” align=“alignright” width=“398”]On Rue André del Sarte in Paris[/caption] Ever wonder when you are walking along streets abroad - or even in your home country - about the names in the street signs? Who gave the name to a particular street, square or park - and on what grounds was he or she bestowed the honor? Here follows a new series of articles which will go through cities in different parts of the world. Continue reading