The Story or Epic of Tambuka (Utendi/Utenzi wa Tambuka) is a Swahili epic poem written by Bwana Mwengo wa Athman in 1728. Also known as Chuo Cha Herkali (the Book of Herakleios or the Battle of Tabuk), the utendi tells of the victories of Prophet Muhammad’s armies against the Byzantine army in Tabuk during the […]
Kat Cendana
John Knox, born between 1505-1515
Although his years of involvement in the Reformation spanned approximately 30 years, few people made a greater impact on the movement in Scotland than John Knox (b. between 1505 and 1515). He spent the first 40 years of his life as a priest and a tutor but joined the Reformation movement through the influence of […]
Georgia Settled By Oglethorpe 1732
In 1732, King George II of England granted James Oglethorpe and his co-trustees the right to create a settlement in Georgia. Oglethorpe’s initial purpose was to provide a haven for England’s poorest, but in the end, workers who possessed skills necessary for building a colony were prioritized. The immigrants sailed from England in November 1732 […]
Fall of the Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire flourished in the western Sahel region of Africa between AD 1400 and 1600. Sonni Ali, the paramount chief of the Sonni Dynasty, led the Songhai people in conquering the former territories of the Ghana and Mali Empires. The power, wealth, and influence of the Songhai Dynasty increased over the years, but it […]
Ashanti Empire Trade Slaves for Guns
In the late 17th century, the Akan people of modern Ghana started to transform their small chiefdom into an empire which they called Ashanti (Ashante or Asante). They expanded their territories by waging war with neighboring peoples and soon captured many prisoners of war. These captives were then sold off to European slave traders who […]
Philadelphia Settled 1681
The Lenape were some of the first peoples who called the city of Philadelphia their home. Dutch and the Swedish colonists built their own outposts along the banks of the Delaware River, but their population remained small for many years. Eager to flee the hostilities in England, the Quaker merchant William Penn petitioned the king […]
Louisiana Settled 1699
After claiming the vast Mississippi River area for France in 1682, La Salle worked hard to establish settlements in the colony he called Louisiana. Although most of La Salle’s efforts failed, the French still managed to hold on to the area through fur traders and Catholic missionaries. The French authorities knew that it was possible […]
Christianity Introduced by Francis Xavier
In 1549, the Jesuit priest and missionary Francis Xavier landed in Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu. With him were two Jesuit missionaries, three Japanese converts (including their translator Anjiro), and one Chinese convert. Despite the danger of evangelizing in a war-torn country and the language barrier, it was not long before this small yet […]
Alexander I Reigns 1801
Alexander I of Russia started his reign after the botched coup and assassination of his father in 1801. He was born in 1777 and was raised by his formidable grandmother, Catherine the Great. He spent most of his years as Russia’s Emperor fighting (and occasionally befriending) Napoleon Bonaparte between the Second and Seventh Coalition Wars. […]
La Salle Explored the Mississippi River 1682
The French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, was the first known European to explore the Mississippi River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in 1682. La Salle’s parents intended him to serve as a Jesuit priest, but his personality made him unsuitable for the job. He left the Jesuits and followed his […]