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

By Tim Lambert Early Namibia In 1487, a Portuguese named Bartholomew Diaz reached what is now Namibia. However, Europeans showed little interest in Namibia until the 19th century because of the desert along its coast. However, in 1884 Namibia became a German colony. Yet at first, the Germans showed little interest in Namibia. The number… Continue reading A Brief History of Namibia

By Tim Lambert Early Nicaragua The agricultural revolution arrived in what is now Nicaragua in about 400 BC. Then in 1502, Christopher Columbus landed on the coast of Nicaragua. However, the Europeans didn’t explore inland until 1522 when Gil Gonzalez de Avila led an expedition to the region. The next year 1523 the Spanish landed… Continue reading A Brief History of Nicaragua

By Tim Lambert Ancient Norway The first people arrived in Norway after 7,000 BC when rising temperatures after the end of the last ice age made the country habitable. The first Norwegians lived by hunting (elk, deer, seals, and whales) and by fishing. After 3,000 BC farming was introduced into Norway. The earliest farmers made… Continue reading A Brief History of Norway

By Tim Lambert The first human beings lived in Panama about 11,000 BC. By 2,500 BC they had learned to make pottery and later people from the region traded with others as far north as Mexico and as far south as Peru. The first European to land in Panama was a Spaniard named Rodrigo Galvan… Continue reading A Brief History of Panama

By Tim Lambert Early Paraguay Before the Spanish arrived in Paraguay it was inhabited by people called the Guarani. They were farmers. The Spanish arrived in the region in the 16th century and the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion was founded in 1537. Paraguay became independent of Spain in 1811 and Jose Gaspar Rodriguez Francis became… Continue reading A Brief History of Paraguay

By Tim Lambert The Chavin in Peru By about 2,500 BC people in what is now, Peru began farming. By about 1,800 BC they were making pottery. The first South American civilization was the Chavin. It arose in what is now Peru in about 900 BC. The Chavin did not invent writing but they were… Continue reading A Brief History of Peru

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Agnieszka Jurkowska Poland in the Middle Ages The written history of Poland began in the 10th century. At that time, Poland was ruled by a dynasty called the Piasts. A Piast named Mieszko I reigned from about 960 to 992. In 966, he became a Christian, and his people followed.… Continue reading A Brief History of Poland

By Tim Lambert Early Senegal The first human beings in Senegal were hunters but by about 3,000 BCE they had learned to farm. About 500 BCE knowledge of how to make iron tools reached West Africa. By 500 AD a sophisticated society arose in Senegal capable of building stone circles. Towns and trade flourished. In… Continue reading A Brief History of Senegal

By Tim Lambert Early Serbia In the 7th century Slavs, ancestors of modern Serbs arrived in Serbia. At first, they were divided into clans but in the 8th century, a man named Vlastimir founded the first Serbian state called Rasica. Then in the 9th century, the Serbs were converted to Christianity. However, until the 13th… Continue reading A Brief History of Serbia

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Anthony Simon Pursell Early South Africa Over a hundred thousand years ago people in what is now South Africa lived by hunting animals and gathering plants. They used stone tools. Then about 2,000 years ago people in the west learned to herd sheep and cattle. About 200 AD people mixed… Continue reading A Brief History of South Africa