Historical Figure Wednesday: Nelson Mandela

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Before we get started, I'd like to apologize for missing a few posts this week. I hope to return to a normal schedule next week, but I may have to take a short break, just for a few days. Anywho, today we are going to be taking a look at the life of Nelson Mandela, an influential man who we will be talking about more shortly. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Nelson Mandela was born on July 18th, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa. After his father's death, young Mandela was raised by Jongintaba, the regent of the Tembu. Mandela chose not to become the next chief to pursue a career as a lawyer. He attended South African Native College and studied law at the University of the Witwatersrand.

     Mandela disliked the legislation South Africa had in place. When boiled down to its basics, these laws dictated that anybody who wasn't white had to carry special documents that showed that they were permitted in certain areas that were "reserved" for white people. Mandela traveled around the country, gaining support for nonviolent means of protests against the discriminatory South African laws. In 1955, he was involved in drafting the Freedom Charter, a document that spoke out against the racist laws.

     Because of his forward-thinking, Mandela was a frequent target for the police. After the massacre of unarmed black South Africans by police in 1960, Mandela abandoned his nonviolent stance and began performing acts of sabotage against the South African regime. Unfortunately, in 1963 Mandela was captured and in 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life, narrowly escaping the death penalty. He was held in prison until 1990 when he was released. He soon became president of South Africa until 1999, where he chose not to run for a second term. He was active even in his retirement, passing away on December 5th, 2013.

     Fun Facts: 

• In 1952, Mandela was ordered not to speak to anyone in public.
• Mandela ran a law firm.
• Technically, Mandela was born into a royal family. 

     Nelson Mandela: 

      

     Sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nelson-Mandela

     https://www.newinterestingfacts.com/interesting-nelson-mandela-facts/#:~:text=Nelson%20Mandela%20Facts%3A%2010%20Interesting%20Facts%20about%20Nelson,ranks%20of%20the%20ANC.%20...%20More%20items...%20

Historical Figure Wednesday: Henry Ford

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's edition of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Henry Ford. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Ford was born on July 30, 1863, on his family's farm in Wayne County, near Dearborn, Michigan. At an early age, Ford showed an adeptness towards tinkering and mechanics, and was soon disassembling and reassembling pocket watches. Ford did not like farm work however, and opted to leave home to take an apprenticeship in a Detroit shipbuilding firm. In the following years, he would learn to operate and service steam engines and would also study bookkeeping.

     In 1890, Ford was hired as an engineer for the Detroit Edison Company. He climbed through the ranks and attained the position of chief engineer quickly thanks to his knowledge of engines. At the same time, Ford built his first gasoline powered automobile and presented it to Thomas Edison. Edison encouraged Ford to build a second, better model, and Ford quickly did.

     In 1898, Ford was awarded with his first patent for his invention of the carburetor. After much thinking, he decided to leave his current position to focus on his cars full time, and founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The first car to roll off it's production lines was the well-known Model T, known for its durability, price, and versatility, making it an American favorite. 

     Ford's contributions to the production line were great, and his methods were used up until many production lines became automated by robots. Although Ford had some beliefs that don't line up with modern views, we still appreciate his contributions to society.

     Henry Ford:

       

     Sources: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/henry-ford

Historical Figure Wednesday: Marie Curie

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's edition of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Marie Curie. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it. 

     Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person ever, to win the award twice. With her husband Pierre Curie, their efforts led to the discovery of polonium and radium and, after Pierre's death, the further development of X-rays. The famed scientist died in 1934 of aplastic anemia likely caused by exposure to radiation. Her work has greatly influenced the scientific community, and influences of her work are still seen today. 

     Maria Sklodowska (later known as Marie Curie) was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw (modern-day Poland). Both of Curie's parents were teachers. Her father was a math and physics teacher. Curie's mother died when she was only ten years old. As a child, Curie showed signs of great intelligence, excelling in school. But because she was a woman, she was not able to attend the University of Warsaw. Instead, she opted to take a set of underground, informal courses that were held in secret.

     Curie got into the Sorbonne, but it was very costly. She often only ate buttered bread and tea, and her poor diet came with a slew of health problems. She completed her master's in physics and another degree in math a few years later. Soon after, she made her scientific discover with the help of her husband Pierre. She discovered polonium and radium after working with the mineral pitchblende. Her work with radiation took a toll on her, and she died on July 4, 1934.

     Fun Facts:

• She was the first female professor at Sorbonne, her college.
• She promoted the use of portable x-rays. 
• She still remains the only person to be graced with two Nobel Prizes.

     Marie Curie: 

     

     Sources: https://www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Historical Figure Wednesday: Helen Keller

      Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's edition of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Helen Keller. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it! 

      Helen Keller was an American educator, advocate for the blind and deaf and co-founder of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). Having fallen victim to an illness at the age of 2, Keller was left both blind and deaf. Beginning in 1887, Anne Sullivan, Keller's teacher, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and before long, Keller went to college, graduating in 1904. During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments.

      Keller was born on June 27th, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Keller was the first of two daughters born to the Keller couple. They owned a cotton plantation, but it didn't bring in a particularly spectacular amount of money. Keller was born with all her senses, but lost sight and hearing at the very young age of two years old. As a result, her parents needed to develop a limited method of communication so that she could learn to function without her parents. At the same time, she became wild and unruly, often pitching fits when angry and giggling uncontrollably when happy. Members of her family though she should be institutionalized. 

     Anne Sullivan was a beacon of hope for Keller, who would work with with Keller for 49 years until her death in 1937. Sullivan began training Keller to communicate with others, but it was apparent that Keller wasn't making much progress. Frustrated, Sullivan demanded that she and Keller be isolated from the rest of the family so they could practice alone. This seemed to work and Keller's communication skills increased dramatically. 

     Keller progressed swiftly through school, and wanted to attend college. She attended the Cambridge School for Young Ladies. Keller tackled social and political issues, including women's suffrage, pacifism, birth control and socialism. She died in the year 1968, peacefully in her sleep.

    Helen Keller:

    

     Sources: https://www.biography.com/activist/helen-keller

Historical Figure Wednesday: Fernando Pessoa

      Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's edition of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life and accomplishments of Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese poet. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dove straight into it. 

     Pessoa was born un June 13th, 1888 in Lisbon, Portugal. He was barely five years old when his father died and his mother remarried about a year and a half later. Pessoa attended an English school in Durban, where he remained with his family until he was seventeen years old. He began studying at the University of Lisbon but dropped out after only eight months. 

     Pessoa continued to bounce around different jobs for several years, earning his keep by translating, writing avant-garde reviews, and drafting business letters in both English and French. Only in 1914 did he really begin his career in poetry. The majority of Pessoa's poems ended up in some form of literary journal or magazine. In 1918, he published his first collection of English poems, titled Antinous, followed by Sonnets, and later English Poems. He only released a single book of Portuguese poems, called Mensagem.

     It wouldn't be until much later, after Pessoa's death, that his work would amass a huge readership around the world. He passed away due to liver cirrhosis.

     Fun Facts:

• Pessoa had many alter egos, which he called heteronyms. 
• These strange alter egos were very popular for writers during this time period.
• He took these alter egos very seriously too, going so far as to create entire identities for them.

     Fernando Pessoa: 

     

     Sources: https://poets.org/poet/fernando-pessoa

Historical Figure Wednesday: Napoleon Bonaparte

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, a fierce military leader. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive right into it, shall we?

     Napoleon Bonaparte, also known as Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Bonaparte quickly ascended through the military ranks before seizing political power in France. Shortly after, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. Shrewd, ambitious, and a skilled military strategist, Napoleon successfully waged war against various coalitions of European nations and expanded his empire. But this would soon come to an end. 

     He suffered a disastrous defeat while attempting to invade Russia in the year 1812. This led to Napoleon abdicating the throne only for him to return two years later. In 1815, he led his forces into the Battle of Waterloo, only to suffer another crushing defeat and abdicate the throne again. He was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, where he died at 51.

     Fun Facts:

• Napoleon once wrote a romance novel.
• Napoleon's wife was very close to being executed but ended up not getting the guillotine.
• He was also tone-deaf.

     Napoleon Bonaparte: 

     

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/france/napoleon#:~:text=Napoleon%20Bonaparte%20(1769%2D1821),Revolution%20(1789%2D1799).

     https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-napoleon/

     

Historical Figure Wednesday: Bill Gates

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be discussing the life of Bill Gates, the biggest figure in the world of technology. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Entrepreneur and businessman Bill gates, along with Paul Allen, founded Microsoft, the largest software. Through sheer technological advancements, clever business strategies, and aggressive growth tactics, he was able to grow Microsoft to the single largest software company ever created. In February of 2014, Gates announced that he was stepping down from his position as chairman to focus on his charity.

     Bill Gates (William Henry Gates III) was born on October 28th, 1955, in Seattle, Washington to a wealthy family with sisters Kristianne and Libby. The atmosphere of the Gates family was warm and inviting, and both Gates' mother and father pushed their children to strive for excellence and taught them to be competitive. Gates did very well in school, but he seemed bored during classes. He was a voracious reader and spent many hours poring over reference books such as the encyclopedia.

     Gates graduated school and boasted 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT, a feat he boasted about for years to come, and rightfully so. He attended Harvard University, but much to the dismay of his parents, dropped out to pursue his dream of making Microsoft a success. When he was in university, he spent more hours inside the computer lab than in class, rarely slept, but managed to pass tests with reasonable marks.

     His work paid off. Before long, his company was competing with the likes of Apple, IBM, and Intel. Soon, IBM approached Microsoft, asking if they were capable of creating the required software. Although young, Gates managed to convince IBM that he was the man for the job. By 1983, it was estimated 30% of computers ran on Microsoft software.

     Gates accomplished a lot during his time at Microsoft. Windows 10 serves as a reminder that the company he created is still going strong today.

     Bill Gates:
     
     Sources: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/bill-gates#citation

Historical Figure Wednesday: Steve Jobs

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Steve Jobs was born in 1955 to two University of Wisconsin graduates who gave him up for adoption. Jobs was intelligent but directionless. He ended up dropping out of college and experimenting with different career paths before finally co-founding Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976. Jobs left the company in 1985 to found Pixar Animation Studios, before returning to Apple more than a decade later. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2011.

     Jobs loved technology as a child, often working with his father in the garage learning how to take apart and reconstruct electronics, a hobby that instilled confidence and mechanical skill in young Jobs. This would later prove to be very helpful to Jobs because the skills he learned at a young age would come in handy when he founded Apple.

     While Jobs was an innovative thinker, he often felt frustrated whilst attending school in a standard education environment. He was often seen as a prankster and acted out frequently because he was bored in his classes. Jobs scored so high on tests that he was recommended to skip all the way to high school, a proposal his parents declined.

     Jobs went on to run the company for many years before he died, handing the reigns over to Tim Cook.

     Fun Facts:

• Jobs' last words were "OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW."
• Instead of treating his pancreatic cancer, he opted to go with more "natural" healing methods. This was a major factor in his death.
• Jobs chose to disclose little about his health, so as to not worry Apple employees and shareholders.

     Steve Jobs: 

     

     Sources: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/steve-jobs

Historical Figure Wednesday: Julius Lothar Meyer

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Julius Lothar Meyer, a revered scientist. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Julius Lothar Meyer was a German chemist who had a heavy hand in pioneering the development of the periodic table of elements. Meyer worked with both Dmitri Mendeleev and Robert Bunsen to create the periodic table. Meyer never used his given first name, preferring to go by Lothar Meyer his whole life.

     Meyer was born in Varel, Germany to parents August Meyer and Anna Biermann. He was a bright student and went on to study medicine at the University of Zurich in 1851. Two years later he attended the University of Würzburg where he studied pathology as a student under Rudolf Virchow. After graduating as a doctor of medicine at Würzburg, he went to the University of Heidelberg, where Bunsen held the chair of chemistry. In 1858 he received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Breslau with a thesis on the effects of carbon monoxide on blood.

     Meyer's most notable accomplishment was his work on the periodic table. He mentioned that if each element is arranged in the order of their atomic weights, they fall into groups of similar chemical and physical properties. He also drew up an early version of the periodic table in his book, Die modernen Theorien der Chemie that contained a mere twenty-eight elements. He began this book while he was still at Breslau.

     Meyer died from a stroke at the age of 64 on April 11th, 1895.

     Julius Lothar Meyer:
     
     Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Lothar_Meyer

Historical Figure Wednesday: Al Capone

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Al Capone, a famous outlaw. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Capone's parents immigrated to the United States from Naples in 1893. Al, the fourth of nine children, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He attended school until the sixth grade until he dropped out at the age of fourteen for striking a teacher. After he stopped attending school, he worked various odd jobs, including a candy store clerk, a bowling alley pin boy, a common laborer in an ammunition plant, and a cutter in a book bindery, all while part of two "kid gangs", groups of delinquent children that vandalized and committed petty crimes.

     Soon Capone became a member of the James Street Boys gang, run by Johnny Torrio, the man that would become his lifelong mentor. At the age of 16 and with the help of Torrio, Capone became a member of the Five Points gang and server aspiring mobster Francesco Iolele as a bartender in Yale's brothel-saloon, the Harvard Inn.

     After doing a stint in prison, Torrio retired to Italy, and Capone became the king of crime in Chicago, running gambling, prostitution, and counterfeiting. He expanded his territories by gunning down rivals and rival gangs. In 1926, Capone went into hiding fire three months after inadvertently killing McSwiggin while murdering other rivals. Again his crimes went unpunished.

     His wealth in 1927 was thought to be $100 million. But his reign of terror would soon come to an end. On June 5th, 1931, he was indicted for 22 counts of federal income tax evasion from the years 1925-1929. He was admitted into Atlanta Penitentiary but was transferred to the notorious Alcatraz. After he got out, he spent the rest of his years in retirement, a powerless recluse, until his death in 1947 from cardiac arrest.

     Al Capone:
     
     Sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Al-Capone

Historical Figure Wednesday: Reduced Time Mode - Mikhail Gorbachev

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Mikhail Gorbachev. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

      Mikhail Gorbachev played a major part in abolishing communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. His wishes for democracy brought upon the end of the Cold War and the demolition of the Berlin Wall. He was removed from the Presidential office in 1991, during a failed coup attempt. Even after leaving office, Gorbachev has worked tirelessly promoting justice and concern for the environment through his own organization, the Green Cross.

     Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in October of 1990.

     Fun Facts:

• Gorbachev once starred in a Pizza Hut commercial in 1997 with his granddaughter.
• He has received many awards for his work, St. Andrew Award from Russia, the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, the Indira Gandhi Prize, and the Nobel Peace Prize.
• He had only one child, a daughter named Irina.

     Mikhail Gorbachev: 

     

   Sources: https://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/russian/mikhail-gorbachev.html

   https://www.ducksters.com/biography/world_leaders/mikhail_gorbachev.php

Historical Figure Wednesday: George Washington Carver

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of George Washington Carver. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     George Washington Carver was born enslaved around the year 1864 in Diamond, Missouri during the Civil War. A week after his birth, he was kidnapped and taken into the state of Arkansas. Along with his siblings, the three were later sold in Kentucky. Out of all three of the children, only young Carver was spotted by an agent and returned to his farm in Missouri.

     Carver's thirst for knowledge would prove to be a driving force in his life. He attended a series of schools before finally obtaining his high school diploma in Minneapolis High School in Minneapolis, Kansas. Carver was accepted to Highland College but was denied once administrators learned of his race. Instead of feeling defeated, he continued his studies by himself. He conducted numerous biological experiments and geological experiments.

     Carver was soon hired as the head of the agricultural department for the Tuskegee Institute (now known as Tuskegee University) where he would teach budding botanists how to when their knowledge. Some of his research included the study of crop rotation, the practice in which you switch out plants to help the soil regenerate its lost nutrients. He also helped combat the rampant boll weevil infestations that plagued the South in the 1890s.

     Carver's work at the Tuskegee Institute included groundbreaking discoveries involving vegetables such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans, and pecans. At the time, cotton production in the south was declining due to the overuse of fields. Carver suggested that peanuts be grown because they restore nitrogen to the soil.

     Carver was a very thrifty man who created many marvelous inventions. He died on January 5th, 1943.

     George Washington Carver:
     
     Sources: https://www.biography.com/scientist/george-washington-carver

Historical Figure Wednesday: William Shakespeare

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's installment of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of William Shakespeare. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor of the Renaissance era. He was an important member of the King’s Men company of theatrical players from roughly 1594 onward. He authored thirty-seven plays, many of which are still recognized by people today, such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth.

     It's hard to determine when Shakespeare was born as there were no birth records at the time, but an old church record indicates that Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1563. Using this record, we can determine that he was born sometime around April 23rd, 1564. Scholars acknowledge this date as Shakespeare's presumed birthday.

     Shakespeare grew up wealthy, but his father's fortune began to dwindle sometime in the late 1570s. Few records are available that allow scholars to analyze Shakespeare's education, and it is presumed he attended King's New School. Because he was the son of a public official, he would have undoubtedly qualified for free tuition to school, but this uncertainty regarding his education has led to many controversies.

     In 1599, Shakespeare and a few of his business partners built their own theater, called the Globe Theater. At the time, theater wasn't a respected industry, but nobility frequented theaters and opera houses. In 1605, Shakespeare purchased real estate that doubled in value, and it is thought that during this time he was able able to compose his works in peace. It is not known whether Shakespeare composed his own works, and many names have been thrown around as the true creator of the plays.

     It is unknown when and how Shakespeare died.

     Fun Facts:

• Shakespeare's father was a jack of all trades. At one point he was paid to drink beer!
• Shakespeare's parents were probably illiterate, and his children almost certainly were.
• It is unknown what Shakespeare did between 1585 and 1592.

     William Shakespeare:

     

     Sources: https://www.biography.com/writer/william-shakespeare

     https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-william-shakespeare

Historical Figure Wednesday: Ludwig Van Beethoven

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's edition of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Ludwig Van Beethoven, a famous composer. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Beethoven was born on December 16th, 1770, in Bonn, (now part of Germany). From an early age, Beethoven showed an interest in music. His first teacher, who happened to be his father, was very strict and was frequently beaten for his failure to produce musical perfection. His mother often protested against the vicious beatings, but she too was beaten. It is said that Beethoven became a pianist simply to stop the beatings administered to both himself and his mother.

     Beethoven's talent didn't go unnoticed however. He soon became sponsored by Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, who paid for his travels to Vienna, where he would live and practice, hopefully under the great Amadeus Mozart. It is not known if whether those two actually met. While many people enjoyed music, many were not keen on donations towards artists like Mozart and Beethoven. This was a matter of great distress for Beethoven.

     When Beethoven entered his twenties, his hearing deteriorated rapidly, leaving him completely deaf. While his deafness caused him much stress, he was still able to compose music of the highest quality. However, it also meant that he couldn't perform well, especially accompanying an orchestra. This led him to be ridiculed by the public and drove him out of the public eye into the world of self-composition.

     By himself, he created truly remarkable pieces, one of his most well-know being Ode to Joy. The last few months of his life were spent confined to his bed. When he eventually died, the cause of death was unknown, but the main theory is liver damage. He passed on March 26th, 1827. Over 20,000 people attended his funeral.

     Fun Facts:

• Beethoven was terrible at mathematics.
• It is rumored that he might have performed for Mozart.
• He suffered from chronic hepatitis, jaundice, colitis, various skin diseases, rheumatic fever and cirrhosis of the liver. Deafness was the least of his problems!

     Ludwig Van Beethoven: 

     

     Sources: https://www.biographyonline.net/music/beethoven.html

     https://blog.ai-media.tv/blog/seven-surprising-fun-facts-about-beethoven-you-never-knew

Historical Figure Wednesday: Louis Pasteur

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Global History Hub! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! On today's edition of Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Louis Pasteur. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist who developed antidotes and cures to many dangerous illnesses such as anthrax and rabies. He also successfully invented a way to pasteurize milk and make it safe from deadly diseases. Pasteur also proved how germs grew from contamination and disproved the theory of spontaneous contamination.

     Pasteur was born in Dole, Eastern France. While he was considered a hard-working student, he was not considered exceptionally brilliant. He was even called mediocre by one of his professors. After obtaining posts at Strasbourg, Lille, and Paris, he spent a lot of time researching chemistry.

     His most important discoveries were in the field of germ study. He learned that germs required certain microorganisms to develop. Using this knowledge, he found that the fermentation of yeast could be delayed. Louis Pasteur then turned to practical ways of killing bacteria in liquids such as milk. His process of pasteurization successfully killed bacteria in milk without destroying milk protein. This was a radical discovery and made drinking milk safe.

     Louis Pasteur:
     
     Sources: https://www.biographyonline.net/scientists/louis-pasteur.html

Historical Figure Wednesday: Cesar Chavez

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Today on Historical figure Wednesday, we'll be discussing the accomplishments of Cesar Chavez. I will also begin a new type of posts where I will discuss the presidents of the United States in order, beginning at George Washington and ending at Barack Obama. I will begin these posts on Monday. But first, let's talk about Cesar Chavez!

     Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was a prominent leader and labor organizer. Hardened by his experiences as a migrant worker, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. His union joined with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee in its first strike against the grape industry in California. The two organizations later merged to become the United Farm Workers. Stressing nonviolent methods, Chavez drew attention for his causes via boycotts, marches, and hunger strikes. Through these methods and a long legal battle, he was able to secure raises and improve conditions for farmworkers in several U.S. states.

     Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona to immigrant parents, who would soon move to California with his family in 1939. For the next ten years, Chavez and his family would move up and down the state, experiencing some of the worst living conditions possible. Wretched migrant camps, corrupt labor contractors, meager wages for back-breaking work, and bitter racism.

     Chavez began labor organization in 1952 when he met Father Donald McDonnell, a Catholic priest, and Fred Ross, an organizer with the group Community Service Organization. Within a few years, Chavez had become a national director but resigned. Chavez would go on to organize many nonviolent protests and marches, especially his famous march in Sacramento that would raise awareness of the corruption in the grape industry.

     Fun Facts:

• Cesar Chavez was a vegetarian.
• After moving to California, Chavez's family took up residence in a town called Sal Si Puedes which translates to "escape if you can".
• Chavez was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his death.

     Cesar Chavez:

     

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/mexico/cesar-chavez

     https://www.ducksters.com/biography/cesar_chavez.php

Historical Figure Wednesday: Nikola Tesla

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Today on Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at Nikola Tesla, a world-renowned engineer, and physicist. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American engineer and physicist who made dozens of breakthroughs in the production, transmission, and application of electric power. He invented the first alternating current (AC) motor and developed AC generation and transmission technology. Even though Tesla was revered, he was never able to gain financial stability through his inventions.

     Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan, Croatia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father was a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Chruch and his mother managed the family farm. In 1863, Tesla's brother Daniel was killed in a riding accident. The shock startled Tesla, who began to report seeing visions. This is thought to be the first sign of his lifelong mental illness.

     Tesla studied math and physics at the Technical University of Graz and philosophy at the University of Prague. Surprisingly, while on a walk in 1882, Tesla came up with the idea for a brushless AC motor, drawing his visions in the sand. Soon, Tesla would move to Paris and would get a job repairing DC power plants with the Continental Edison Company. Soon after, he immigrated to the United States.

     Tesla arrived in New York in 1884 and was hired as an engineer. He worked there for one year, impressing Thomas Edison. At one point, Edison offered $50,000 if he could improve his DC engine. After months of experiments, Tesla produced the solution. Edison refused to give him the money.

     In 1895, Tesla's lab burned down, destroying years' worth of notes and equipment. Tesla spent the last decades of his life in a New York Hotel, working on New Inventions even as his energy and mental health faded. Tesla died in his room on January 7th, 1943.

     Fun Facts:

• Tesla had an obsession with the number three.
• During the last few years of his life, Tesla fed and claimed to communicate with pigeons.
• The symptoms of his mental disorders were dismissed as him being eccentric.

     Nikola Tesla:

     

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla

Historical Figure Wednesday: Genghis Khan

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Today on Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Genghis Khan, a good man of ancient times. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Genghis Khan rose from humble beginnings and would go on to establish the largest land empire in history. At his height, Khan controlled between eleven and twelve million square miles of land. After uniting the nomadic tribes on the Mongolian Plateau, Khan conquered huge chunks of land and his descendants would conquer even more land. Many people were killed during this period, giving Khan the reputation of being a brute or a savage, but he granted religious freedom to all his subjects, abolished torture, encouraged trade and even created the first international postal system. Khan died during a military campaign against the Chinese kingdom Xi Xia, but his legacy lives on in the form of the modern-day postal system.

     Fun Facts:

• Genghis Khan isn't his real name. His actual name is Temujin.
• There is no definitive record of what Genghis Khan looked like.
• Some of his most trusted generals were former enemies.
• Genghis was responsible for the death of 40,000,000 people. (Forty million).
• No one knows where Khan is buried.

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/china/genghis-khan

     https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-genghis-khan

     I wanted to try something new for the first time. Yesterday, I made a post (here) where I had more pictures and more content. Today, my post was brief but had more concise fun facts. Which do you prefer and why? See you tomorrow!

   

Historical Figure Wednesday: Aristotle

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Today on Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at Aristotle, a man who cleaned up after the scientific inaccuracies of Galileo. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Aristotle (384 B.C. to 322 B.C.) was an Ancient Greek philosopher and scientist who is still considered one of the greatest thinkers. When Aristotle turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 338, he began tutoring Alexander the Great. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying, teaching and writing. Some of his most notable works include Nichomachean Ethics, Politics, Metaphysics, Poetics and Prior Analytics, among others.

     Aristotle was born in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece that was once a seaport. Aristotle's father was court physician to the Macedonian king Amyntas II. Although Aristotle's father died when Aristotle was just a boy, he remained closely affiliated to the Macedonian court for the rest of his life. It is also believed that Aristotle's mother died when he was young as well.

     Aristotle is thought to have written 200 works, most of which are in the form of notes and manuscripts touching on a variety of subjects. Unfortunately, out of the 200 works that Aristotle wrote, only thirty-one remain in circulation, most of which date back to his time at the Lyceum.

     Aristotle, along with Socrates and Plato, laid much of the groundwork for western philosophy.

     Fun Facts:

• Almost nothing is known about Aristotle's mother, Phaestis. 
• After Plato's death in 347 B.C.E., Aristotle didn't inherit the position of director at Plato's academy because Aristotle's beliefs didn't line up with Plato's.
• Aristotle opened his own academy, called the Lyceum after getting permission from Alexander the Great.

     Aristotle:

     

     Sources: https://www.biography.com/scholar/aristotle

     https://factslegend.org/30-interesting-aristotle-facts-know/

Historical Figure Wednesday: Alexander Hamilton

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! Today on Historical Figure Wednesday, we'll be taking a look at the life of Alexander Hamilton, an important figure in the American Revolution. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     Hamilton was either born in 1755 or 1757 on the small Caribbean island of Nevis. His mother and father weren't married. Rachel, Hamilton's mother, was married to another man after her husband had spent much of her family's wealth and had had her imprisoned for adultery. Hamilton's father abandoned the family in 1766 and Hamilton's mother died just two years later.

     Hamilton was later hired as a clerk for a trading company on St. Croix when he was just eleven. Hamilton gained wider after he published an eloquent letter describing a hurricane that had hit the island in 1772. Locals would then raise money to help send him to America to study and he arrived in late 1772, just as the colonies were gearing up for the Revolutionary War.

     When the Revolutionary War began, Hamilton was commissioned to lead an artillery company in the Continental Army and fought bravely in the battles of Trenton and Princeton, among a few others. By 1777, he had caught the attention of the commander-in-chief, George Washington, who gave him a position on his staff.

     Hamilton left his position on Washinton's staff for a short while so he could return to the army. That year, Washington gave him field command at the Battle of Yorktown. Hamilton did not disappoint. It was believed that the surrender of Lord Cornwallis was a direct result of Hamilton's planning and leadership at the Battle of Yorktown.

     Fun Facts:

• It is believed that the reason Hamilton did not fire directly at Aaron Burr during their legendary duel is that Hamilton's son died in the same fashion and Hamilton himself was hesitant to perform the exact same practice that killed his son.
• Hamilton founded the New York Post. 
• The reason for the date discrepancy in the first paragraph is probably because Hamilton lied about his age to get into college.

     Alexander Hamilton: 

     

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/alexander-hamilton

     https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/73450/11-facts-about-alexander-hamilton-his-birthday