In the year 1515, Manchester Grammar School becomes the first free grammar school in England (Jul 2), the Spanish Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founds Havana, Cuba (Aug 25), France restores its control of Milan (Sep 13), Thomas Wolsey is named Lord Chancellor of England (Dec 24), Albrecht Dürer finishes his woodcut Rhinoceros - and all these fine people were born: 1515-xxxx Roger Ascham* scholar/ didactic writer/tutor to Elizabeth I in Greek and Latin - Kirby Wiske, Yorkshire, England (1568/c. Continue reading

Another piece in our 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 do you think said the following: _**“You don’t have anything to give that you don’t have. Continue reading

Samuel Pepys' bookplate. The Latin translates as “Mind Makes the Man” In the year 1660, Samuel Pepys begins his diary, one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration Period (Jan 1), in the Treaty of Oliva, peace is made between Sweden and major European powers (May 5), the first actress appears on the professional stage in England in a non-singing role (Dec 8), the Royal African Company is founded by James II of England, in order to trade slaves along the coast of West Africa - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

There are a whole lot of loan words in English. Many more than you might think. Perhaps as much as 80% of words in the English language have a non-English origin. Most are of course from far back in time, but some are quite new. So new that you might recognize them right away if the source was your own mother tongue. Below there is an alphabetical list of some of these words. Continue reading

The Statue of Sir Walter Ralegh (1554-1618) in Greenwich, London. Photo credit Loco Steve In the year 1618, Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary emotion (Mar 8), the Defenestration of Prague influences significantly the history of Europe and leads eventually to the Thirty Years' War, polarizing Europe on religious grounds (May 23), the English playwright Ben Jonson sets out on his walk from London to Edinburgh, Scotland – an unheard undertaking at the time (Jul 8), **Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded in London for allegedly conspiring against the King in 1603 **(Oct 29), the Thirty Year’s War goes on – and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Like bubbles in the air, we are. Floating in the independent spheres of our own. Sometimes touching the surface of another, attaching to it. Sometimes floating alone till the eventual burst. But never being absorbed by another bubble, no matter how close we get. Independently our own, in each bubble there is everything we need, and each a reflection of its environment. And no matter how big or small we are, we are each perfect in our own way. Continue reading

This time in First Names First we have** Ada!** Pick one name below, and then follow the Wikipedia link to see what if anything the person could contribute your life with. Why not give a couple of minutes of your life to this for lives lived have something worthwhile to tell us – let them! Ada Lovelace* (b Byron) mathematician/writer/ often regarded as one of the first computer programmers – London, England (1815) Continue reading

In the year 1663, Emperor Reigen ascends to the throne of Japan (Mar 5), King Charles II of England issues the Charter of Carolina, establishing the Province of Carolina (Mar 24), the English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act, requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports (Jul 27), severe frost hits England (Aug 28), the English polymath Robert Hooke discovers that cork is made of “tiny little rooms”, which he first calls “cells” - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

In the year 1346, a severe Black Death epidemic, the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, begins in the Crimea (spring), Edward III and the English army begin an invasion of France (Jul 11), the English defeat the French in the Battle of Crécy, the first one in Europe where gunpowder is used (Aug 26), Denmark sells Danish Estonia to the Teutonic Knights (Aug 29), the English army defeats the Scots in the Battle of Neville’s Cross (Oct 17), the Black Death keeps spreading in Eurasia and North Africa, causing the death of 75–200 million people before ending in 1351 - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

As you may know, our article series Streets and Squares was created to provide 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! This time we visit Montreal, the most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie (City of Mary), it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. Continue reading

Woolsthorp Manor, the birthplace and family home of Isaac Newton and where he stayed during the Great Plague (1665-1667) In the year 1665, Bucharest allows Jews to settle in the city, in exchange for an annual tax (Mar 16), as the Great Plague forces the closure of the University of Cambridge where Isaac Newton studies, he retires to his home for safety, and will there make many of his groundbreaking discoveries (Aug), the first play in English in the American colonies is performed in Pungoteague, Virginia (Aug 27), Robert Hooke’s Micrographia is published in London, first applying the term ‘cell’ to plant tissue (Sep) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

The Netherland Monument at an entrance to Battery Park. Photo credit: Tdorante10 In the year 1626, Sweden defeats a Polish army in Wallhof, Latvia (Jan 7), the director of New Netherland, Peter Minuit, buys Manhattan from a Native American tribe for some 60 guilders worth of trade goods (May 24), the new St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican is consecrated (Nov 18), Pasha Muhammad ibn Farukh, tyrannical Governor of Jerusalem, is forced out (Dec 1), the Würzburg and Bamberg witch trials, leading to the mass executions of hundreds of people, begin - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

So have you tried the 4711 yet? The original Eau de Cologne 4711, named after its location at Glockengasse No. 4711 in Köln (Cologne), Germany. It was launched there in 1709 by the 23-year-old Giovanni Maria Farina, an Italian perfume maker who named his fragrance Eau de Cologne, in honor of his new hometown. In contemporary American English usage, the term “cologne” has become a generic term for perfumes - especially those marketed toward men. Continue reading

Dutch Brazil, a.k.a. New Holland 1630-1654 In the year 1661, Russia cedes to Sweden all captured territories in the Treaty of Cardis (Jul 1), Portugal and the Dutch Republic sign a treaty whereby New Holland (a.k.a. Dutch Brazil) is ceded to Portugal (Aug 6), work begins on Versailles, John Evelyn publishes the pamphlet Fumifugium which becomes one of the earliest descriptions of air pollution - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Today, Aug 13th 2021, it is exactly 500 years since the end of the Aztec Empire (1428-1521) In the year 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther (Jan 3), the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines (Mar 16), the Diet of Worms ends, and Martin Luther is declared an outlaw (May 25), Suleiman the Magnificent, leader of the Ottoman Empire, begins the siege of Belgrade (Jun 25), Gustaf Eriksson, the future King Gustaf Vasa, rebels against Kalmar Union (Aug),** Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec Emperor, surrenders to Cortés whereby the Aztec Empire is incorporated into the Spanish Empire** (Aug 13) – and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

When you hear the word Maori, what comes to your mind? Perhaps the Maori Haka dance? The video below is of the Maori All Blacks Haka before the rugby match between New Zealand and Canada in Vancouver, Canada, 2017. That’s something to behold! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnvI6V-TtLs The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. They arrived from eastern Polynesia in several waves of waka (canoe) voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Continue reading

This time in First Names First we haveAdolf. And Adolph, Adolphe and Adolphus - all male names. Unfortunately Adolf was the name for that one dictator, but also the first (or in this case, the second) name for many good and brilliant men. No man owns a name, but nevertheless, after the Second World War, Adolf has for obvious reasons rarely been a name one would choose for their son. Continue reading

or Who Killed Sara? is a Mexican television series created by José Ignacio Valenzuela, and released for Netflix in March 2021. The series tells about a man convicted for the murder of his sister, a crime that he did not commit. Not a kid-friendly series, that’s for sure. But certainly one worthy of watching. The cast is mainly Mexican, but also from Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Spain and Venezuela. Here below you see the main cast with their role names, and where the actors and actresses originate from. Continue reading

Journeys of Life started long ago in the blogspot.com environment as an idea to offer database for you readers interested in finding people who were born the exact same date as yourselves. Since then this site has gone through a lot of changes - development if you will. There still is the opportunity to find your astrological twin (not exact of course though since time and place of birth vary), but now there are also all the article series that we hope you are pretty familiar with by now: Did You Know That, First Names First, Language Day, Monthly Latin, One Day in the Life of, Streets & Squares, When, and Who Said That! Continue reading

So, Who Said That! Try to guess first who said that, and if you don’t know, you’ll see who it was at the very end of the article. Remember to scroll very s l o w l y. Sometimes it is so obvious. That someone is very different from “the rest of us normal people”. And even if you add “more” before “normal”, it doesn’t much change the fact that there is no normal , and being “different” is an illusion. Continue reading