Category: Histories of countries and key towns and cities around the world

By Tim Lambert The Foundation of Calgary For 10,000 years native people lived on the site of Calgary. Then in 1875, the Mounties built a fort there. In 1876 it was named Fort Calgary after Calgary Bay in Scotland. The Scottish name is derived from the Gaelic words Cala-ghearridh meaning pasture by the bay. When… Continue reading A History of Calgary

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Hollee and Hayden Davill Early Canberra For thousands of years, the indigenous Ngunnawal people lived in the Canberra region, and the name ‘Canberra’ is believed to be derived from an indigenous word meaning ‘meeting place’. The first European explorers arrived in the Canberra area in 1820 and the first settlers… Continue reading A History of Canberra

By Tim Lambert According to tradition Cork was founded by St Finbarr in the 7th century. He built an abbey there. Its name comes from the Gaelic Corcaigh, which means marshy place. For centuries the abbey at Cork flourished and it was famous for learning. However, in 820, the Vikings raided the abbey and the… Continue reading A History of Cork, Ireland

By Tim Lambert 19th Century Darwin In 1839 a ship called The Beagle sailed to Darwin Harbour. The captain named the harbour after who had sailed with him on an earlier voyage. The city of Darwin in Australia was founded in 1869. However, at first, the settlement was named Palmerston after the British prime minister.… Continue reading A History of Darwin Australia

By Tim Lambert Early Derry Derry is an ancient settlement. Its name is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word doire meaning a grove of oak trees. From the 6th AD onwards century there was a monastery in Derry. (Tradition says St Columba founded it). In time a settlement grew up by the monastery.… Continue reading A History of Derry

By Tim Lambert Viking Dublin Dublin was founded by the Vikings. They founded a new town on the south bank of the Liffey in 841. It was called Dubh Linn, which means black pool. The new town of Dublin was fortified with a ditch and an earth rampart with a wooden palisade on top. In… Continue reading A History of Dublin

By Tim Lambert The Foundation of Edmonton The great Canadian city of Edmonton began as a trading post called Fort Edmonton, built in 1795. It was named after Edmonton, England, which was then a town north of London. However, in the late 19th century the settlement began to spread outside the fort. Then in 1892,… Continue reading A History of Edmonton

By Tim Lambert Early Florence The great city of Florence was founded by the Romans in 59 BC. It was a colonia, a settlement for retired soldiers and it was called Florentia. The new town flourished and grew under Roman rule. However, in the 4th century, the Roman Empire split into two, East and West.… Continue reading A History of Florence Italy

By Tim Lambert Galway in the Middle Ages Galway was first recorded in 1124 when a fort was built there. However, the town was founded in the 13th century. In 1170-71 the English invaded eastern Ireland and in 1232 a baron named Richard de Burgh took this area and created a town. After 1270 walls… Continue reading A History of Galway

By Tim Lambert Early Gdansk The story of Gdansk begins in the 10th century. At first, it was a small trading settlement but it soon grew. In 1224 it was formally made a town when it was granted certain rights. Then in 1308 the Teutonic Knights (an order of German knights) took over Gdansk. They… Continue reading A History of Gdansk