A road sign in the two official languages in Wales This time - a month late, sorry about that, but hopefully worth the wait - we concentrate in Language Day on the Welsh language. Well yn hwyrach na byth (see below!). A Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Historically, it has also been known in English as British, Cambrian, and Cymric. It might also be of interest to know about the Welsh people. Continue reading

Anyone interested in the fantastic team sports of football (yeah we know, Americans mean something else with it), would love to watch the matches between the qualified nations in the ongoing football tournament in Qatar. Either in television or live on the scene. But this time around - as perhaps four years ago in Russia - it is a big if whether that love exceeds the disgust for everything surrounding this otherwise marvellous and exciting tournament. Continue reading

King Henry VIII of England (1491-1547). Picture credit: Paris Orlando In the year 1547, Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia, to be known also as Ivan the Terrible (Jan 16), King Henry VIII of England dies in London (Jan 28), and Edward VI of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey (Feb 20), the Duchy of Brittany unites with the Kingdom of France (Aug 13), Yarmouth Castle on the Isle of Wight is completed, Huguenots increasingly immigrate to the English county of Kent, Edward VI of England outlaws execution by boiling - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This time in First Names First Carly, the female variant of the male name Carl. It is also a pet form of given names such as Carla and Caroline, which each will have their separate articles. So here we concentrate solely on Carly. Pick one of the names below, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about that person, and see what if anything she could contribute your life with. Spend a couple of minutes of your life with this. Continue reading

Martin Luther by his friend who was struck by lightning. A painting by Ferdinand Pauwels (1830-1904) In the year 1505, Martin Luther, then 22, vows to become a monk in a moment of terror, due to a near lightning strike during a thunderstorm, near the village of Stotternheim (Jul 2), the Kalmar Bloodbath takes place in Kalmar, Sweden (Jul), Portuguese reach Colombo, Sri Lanka (1505), the construction of Archangel Cathedral in Moscow begins, Bermuda is discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Exchange Shopping Center on Cranbrook Road The city of Ilford in Essex, England will be the center of attention in this month’s 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! Ilford is situated in East London, in the London Borough of Redbridge. Continue reading

Jean Ribault (1520-1565), painting by Calvin Bryant In the year 1562, the Huguenot wars begin in France (Mar 1), the French navigator Jean Ribault lands in Florida, in search of colony locations for French Huguenot Christians fleeing persecution in France (May 1), Bishop of Yucatan burns the sacred books of the Maya (Jul 12), John Hawkins initiates the English trans-Atlantic slave trade, shipping slaves from Sierra Leone to Hispaniola in the Caribbean (Oct) – and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Abraham Ortelius World Map Typvs Orbis Terrarvm In the year 1570, Ivan the Terrible begins the Massacre of Novgorod (Jan 9), the assassination of Scottish regent James Stewart plunges Scotland into civil war (Jan 23), Abraham Ortelius publishes the first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, in Antwerp (May 20), the Kingdom of Livonia is established (Jun 10), the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus begins (Jul 3), the oldest law firm in operation, Thomson Snell & Passmore, is founded in Kent, England (Jul 22) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

This page comprises the years 801 thru 900. It will later on be divided into decades, but not into individual years. Until then this is a century page. But even when it is divided into centuries, we will keep this age intact, for easier reading for these are years that interest many of us with the rich Viking history and beginnings of England. The birth dates of many of these people you see here are uncertain (even the years), while the time of death is naturally more widely known. Continue reading

This time in First Names First the North German male name Carl, very popular throughout ages. Variants of it include the Spanish Carlos, Italian Carlo, French Carle, Swedish and German Karl, Finnish Kaarlo, among others. But here we concentrate only at Carl and Karl. Carl Gyllenhielm* soldier/politician – Sweden (1574) Carl Gustaf Wrangel* military commander/statesman – Uppsala, Sweden (1613) Carl Piper* nobleman/statesman – Stockholm, Sweden (1647) Carl Bonde* royal counselor/ambassador – Stockholm, Sweden (1648) Continue reading

In the year 1250, Erik Eriksson dies (Feb 2) and Birger Jarl’s eldest son Valdemar I becomes the new king of Sweden (Feb), King Louis IX of France is released by his Egyptian captors after paying a large ransom and turning over the port city Damietta (Apr 30), the Rialto Bridge in Venice is converted from a pontoon bridge to a permanent, raised wooden structure, the German scientist Albertus Magnus isolates the element arsenic as the 8th discovered metal - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

SONY DSC In the year 1573, Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Mikatagahara (Jan 25), the Ottoman–Venetian War ends by a peace treaty (Mar 25), Spanish forces under the Duke of Alva capture Haarlem (Jul 12), Oda Nobunaga drives Ashikaga Yoshiaki out of Kyoto, effectively destroying the Ashikaga shogunate, and ending the Muromachi and Sengoku periods (Aug 27), Spanish forces take Tunis (Oct), the Spanish silver trade to China begins, most of the silver confiscated in the New World in Southern America - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Last time here in First Names First we had Oliver, so today it is time for its female counterpart Olivia! It is derived from Latin oliva meaning peace. Pick one of the names below, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about that 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

Cardiff Castle from late 11th century Streets & Squares proudly presents Cardiff - the capital and also the largest city of Wales. It is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan. English and Welsh are the official languages of Wales which can clearly be seen when traveling there. And what is also clearly evident is how different the two languages are. Welsh is the most vibrant of the Celtic languages in terms of active speakers. Continue reading

Monument of Pedro de Mendoza in Buenos Aires. Photo courtesy: Barcex, CC BY-SA 3.0, In the year 1536, Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires (Feb 2), the Inquisition is implemented in Portugal (Apr 30), Anne Boleyn, second queen of Henry VIII of England, is arrested on the grounds of incest, adultery and treason (May 2), later executed, and Henry marries Jane Seymour (May 30), English Bible translator William Tyndale is burned at the stake in Vilvoorde, Flanders (Oct 6) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Time for another First Names First! Oliver is the name of today, and two weeks from now the female variant of it, Olivia. Why not pick one of the names below, 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! Continue reading

Fast driving with fast men! What do they have in common - those men that is? And some of the few women in the circuit? It takes a special type of person for sure to sit in that cockpit and make those rapid decisions between success and failure - and life and death. Here is a chronological list of all the Formula One World Champions: 1906-1030 Giuseppe Farina* from Turin, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy (1966/59) Continue reading

“Last Of Gas Lamps Of London”, painting by Guneet Kaur (2017) In the year 1417, King Henry V of England begins using English in correspondence, marking the beginning of the restoration of English as an official language for the first time since the Norman Conquest some 350 years earlier (Aug 12), Henry V of England captures Caen, Normandy, which remains in English hands until 1450 (Sep 20), the use of street lighting is first recorded in London when the mayor orders lanterns with lights to be hung out on the winter evenings between Hallowtide and Candlemas – and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Portrait of Francisco Pizarro (1478-1541) by Amable-Paul Coutan, 1835 In the year 1538, the Kingdom of Hungary is divided between the future Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and the Voivode of Transylvania, John Zápolya (Feb 24), the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro seizes Cusco in Peru (Apr 26), the Dissolution of the Monasteries in England goes on with the dissolution of the newly founded Bisham Abbey (Jun 19), Bogotá in Colombia is founded (Aug 6), Henry VIII of England is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church (Dec 17) - and all these fine people were born: Continue reading

Time for another quote! Things that people have uttered in a moment of elation, insight, inspiration, wisdom, despair – or any other emotion. Try to guess or remember first who said that, and if you don’t know, you’ll see who it was at the very end of this article. These pieces are there to lift your spirits, brighten your day, increase your tolerance of fellow human beings – or just give you a temporary relief from whatever you were doing a moment ago – or what is going around you. Continue reading