Category: Brief histories of famous people across the world and ages

By Tim Lambert Galileo Galilei was born on 15 February 1564 in Pisa, Italy. (He is one of the few famous people known by his first name rather than surname). Galileo was the first of 6 or, some say, 7 children. His father was a musician, and although the family was fairly well off, they… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Galileo

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Geoffrey Chaucer was a great English writer of the 14th century. Chaucer was born between 1340 and 1343 but we don’t know the exact date. His father was a wine merchant in London. Little is known about the early life of Geoffrey Chaucer. He was first recorded in the… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer

By Tim Lambert His Early Life George Fox was a founder of the Quakers. Fox was born in Fenny Drayton, in Leicestershire in July 1624. His father was a weaver and the family was comfortably off. George Fox trained as a shoemaker. George Fox came to believe that every person has an inner light to… Continue reading A Brief Biography of George Fox

By Tim Lambert His Early Life George Orwell was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He was born Eric Arthur Blair on 25 June 1903 in India. His father was a colonial civil servant and the family was middle class but not particularly well off. However, when Orwell was only a year… Continue reading A Brief Biography of George Orwell

By Tim Lambert George Vancouver was a great navigator of the 18th century. He was born in Fincham Street in the town of Kings Lynn in Norfolk, England on 22 June 1757. His father, John Vancouver was deputy collector of customs in Kings Lynn. As the son of a well-to-do man George probably attended Kings… Continue reading A Brief Biography of George Vancouver

By Tim Lambert George Washington is famous for the part he played in the American War of Independence as well as for being the first president of the USA. George was born on 22 February 1732 in Virginia. His father Augustine was a plantation owner. His mother was called Mary. George’s father died in 1743… Continue reading A Brief Biography of George Washington

By Tim Lambert Gertrude Bell was a great writer and archaeologist of the early 20th century. She was born in Washington, County Durham on 14 July 1868. Her father was the wealthy owner of an ironworks. Sadly her mother died when Gertrude was only 3 but her father remarried. Gertrude was a very intelligent woman… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Gertrude Bell

By Tim Lambert Grigori Rasputin was born in a village in Siberia. We don’t know the exact date but it was around 1869. At that time life in Siberia was hard and primitive. It was almost untouched by the Industrial Revolution that was sweeping western Europe. However, the Rasputin family were not poor peasants. They… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Grigori Rasputin

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Henry Cavendish was one of the great scientists of the 18th century. Cavendish was born on 10 October 1731 in Nice in France. He was born into a rich family. His father was Lord Charles Cavendish, who was himself a noted scientist. Henry’s family moved to London in 1738… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Henry Cavendish

By Tim Lambert Henry Fawcett was a reformer of the 19th century. He campaigned for women’s suffrage (women’s right to vote). Henry was born in Salisbury on 26 August 1833. He was one of 4 children. Henry was educated at Cambridge University. Unfortunately, Henry was blinded in an accident in 1858. His father shot at… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Henry Fawcett