At the beginning of 2009, an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip was in full swing. Shells were flying and lives were lost at a rapid pace.Six-year-old Baraa’ Abd al Rahman Badawi was woken by a loud explosion in the late afternoon of January 7, 2009. He was immediately inconsolable and kept crying. When his […]

Mary Shelley, née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797 – 1851) was an English writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (12 – 41 AD) – commonly known as ‘Caligula’, meaning ‘little soldier’s boot’- was a Roman Emperor (and member of the house of rulers known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty) from 37 – 41 AD.Caligula was considered a harsh and perverted leader and ubsequently, Caligula was the recipient of many failed

Sir Paul McCartney (b. 1942) of Liverpool, England, was one quarter of the most famous band in musical history – The Beatles. Alongside John Lennon (1940 – 1980), McCartney formed the most celebrated singer/songwriting partnership in popular music, receiving unprecedented commercial and critical acclaim during their 1957 – 1970 career with The Beatles.In 1965, McCartney

Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) was the 16th President of the United States of America from March 1861 until his assassination in 14th April 1865. Lincoln is remembered for successfully leading his country through its greatest constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union while ending slavery, and promoting

English military and political leader, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), overthrew the monarchy and turned England into a republican Commonwealth. He was then instated as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. An intensely religious man – a self-styled Puritan Moses – he fervently believed God was guiding his victories.Cromwell believed that his political rise was delivered to him

Jaime Castell was killed in a freak automobile accident. The Spanish hotel executive was driving home one evening when a car speeding in the opposite direction swerved off the road, jumped over the median barrier, flipped over and landed upside-down on top of Castell’s car, killing him instantly. The insurance company readily and without question

On August 9, 2014, a tragic incident in a Ferguson, Missouri, resulted in riots and protests that lasted several weeks. Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead after an altercation with a police officer. Some witnesses stated that Brown was shot as he moved toward the policeman, ignoring calls to freeze. Others vehemently denied this, claiming

German scientist, Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz (1829 – 1896) is a remarkable figure in the history of chemistry, specifically organic chemistry. In 1856 Kekulé became Privatdozent at the University of Heidelberg. In 1858 he was hired as full professor at the University of Ghent, then in 1867 he was called to Bonn, where he

On October 7, 1571 Pope Pius V, during a meeting with a group of cardinals, abruptly stood up and opened a window before staring motionlessly outside. Some time later, he turned, dissolved the meeting and ordered everyone present to give thanks to God for the victory of the Christian fleet against the Turks. No one

Earthquakes of any notable magnitude are quite rare in Great Britain, so it’s unlikely that Edward Pearson would have been taken seriously by anyone. Pearson was traveling by train from Iverness to Perth in Scotland, the first leg of his trip to London.He was going there, he told authorities, to warn the Prime Minister of

Constantine I “The Great”, Emperor of Rome from 307 to 337 A.D. inherited a troubled empire. Plagued with typical leadership struggles, Rome was also suffering from rebellion, war and increasing weakness. In the conflicts of the tetrarchy, or four emperor system, Constantine was able to maintain a level of neutrality that eventually put him in

English author Charles Dickens (1812 – 1890) informed friends of a bizarre occurrence he experienced as a result of a brief dream. Dickens said he was at home one day and began to feel tired, subsequently deciding to take a short nap. Dickens stated that he soon fell asleep and very shortly thereafter, he began

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known better by his pen name Mark Twain, is still considered one of the greatest American writers. And although many of his writings and famed quotations poke fun at the folly of men, he seemed to have a mystical side as well. It is well known, for example, that he predicted the

Edwin Moses (b. 1955), an Olympic track and field athlete from the USA, lined up for a major race in Koblenz, West Germany in August of 1983. Moses said he felt incredibly relaxed before the 400m event, as was evident in the fact that he forgot to take his socks to the track, he also