Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born on the 28th of June 1712 in Geneva and passed away on 2nd July, 1778. Do you know that as a teenager Rousseau supported himself as a servant, tutor and secretary in Italy and France? A noted philosopher, writer and composer, Jean-Jacques Rousseau influenced many aspects of the French Revolution and […]
Benjamin Franklin was born on the 17th of January 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, and passed away on 17th April, 1790. Do you know that Benjamin Franklin was also a great inventor? He was responsible for inventing the rocking chair, the writing chair, etc. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin was
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on the 21st of March, 1685 in the town of Eisenach, Germany, and passed away on the 28th of July, 1750. Do you know that Bach incorporated the numbers 14 and 41 in almost all his works? The numbers were supposedly the numerology value of the letters in his name.
Sir Isaac Newton was born in Woolsthorpe, England, on the 4th of January 1643 and passed away on the 31st of March, 1727. Do you know that when he was in college, Sir Isaac Newton waited on tables and took care of the wealthier students’ rooms? A physicist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton was most
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, commonly known as Rembrandt, was born on the 15th of July 1606 in Dutch Republic, (present-day Netherlands) and passed away on 4th October, 1669. Do you know that Rembrandt is known to have produced around 90 self-portraits? Rembrandt’s contributions of the art world came in a period known as the Dutch
William Shakespeare, popularly known as the Bard of Avon, was born on 26th April, 1564 in England, and passed away on the 23rd of April 1616. Do you know that although Shakespeare is considered a literary genius yet his parents were considered illiterate and so were his children? Regarded as the greatest writer in the
Popularly known as Galileo, this Italian astronomer, was born in Pisa, Italy, on the 15th of February 1564 and passed away on the 8th of January 1642. Do you know that Galileo’s father was Vincenzo Galilei, the famous musician? Not only an astronomer, Galileo was known as the Father of Science, Modern Physics and Observational
The Union Buildings were built in Pretoria, South Africa, between 1910 and 1913. The Union Buildings are English monumental style structures built from light sandstone. They are the official seat of the South African government and also house the office of the President of South Africa. The building has a semi-circular shape with two identical
Abdul Fateh Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, popularly known as Akbar the Great, was born on the 15th of October 1542 at the Rajput Fortress of Umerkot in Sindh and passed away on 27th October, 1605. Do you know that Akbar was not only tolerant towards all religions, he had also repealed the law which required the
The Afrikaans Language Monument was built in Western Cape Province, South Africa, in 1975. The monument was built in honour of Afrikaans being declared an official language of South Africa. The monument comprises various tapering concave and convex structures that symbolize the influence of various languages and cultures on the Afrikaans language itself. Amazing Fact:
Popularly known as Leonardo or the Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15th April, 1452 in Italy, and passed away on the 2nd of May 1519. Do you know that even though Leonardo is known widely for his paintings, his areas of expertise include many fields such as astronomy, geology, literature, music, writing,
Christopher Columbus was born on the 31st of October, 1451 in the Republic of Genoa and passed away on the 20th of May 1506. Do you know that in all likelihood Columbus was not the first European to cross the Atlantic Ocean? That honour is generally given to Norse Viking Leif Eriksson. Christopher Columbus was
The National Women’s Memorial was built in South Africa in 1913. The Monument was built to honour the 27,000 Boer women and children who had died during the Second Boer War, in British concentration camps. The monument comprises a 35-metre high obelisk with low semi-circular walls on two sides and a central bronze sculpture of
Dante degli Alighieri, popularly known as Dante, was born between May and June 1265 in Florence and passed away on 14th September, 1321. Do you know that Dante had become a pharmacist so as to help further his political career? A renowned Italian poet, most of Dante’s work was written in Latin and accessible only
The Castle of Good Hope was built in South Africa between 1666 and 1679. The Castle of Good Hope is a star-shaped fort that was built by the Dutch East India Company. Painted yellow to lessen the effect of the sun, the castle contained a church, bakery, workshops, living quarters and cells. In 1936, the