Category: Articles

By Tim Lambert His Early Life William Shakespeare was baptized on 26 April 1564. We don’t know the exact date of his birth but in the 16th century, it was normal for babies to be baptised within a few days of their birth (because so many died). Shakespeare was born the same year as Christopher… Continue reading A Biography of William Shakespeare

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Thomas More was an English statesman and writer of the early 16th century. Thomas More was born on 7 February 1478 in Milk Street in London. (At that time London was a bustling town of perhaps 60,000 or 70,000 people). His father, John More was a lawyer and the… Continue reading A Biography of Thomas More

By Tim Lambert Alexander Graham Bell was the man who invented the telephone. He was born in Edinburgh on 3 March 1847. Bell’s father taught elocution and Alexander was expected to follow. He was educated at Edinburgh High School, Edinburgh University, and the University of London. Afterward, he taught elocution and music. Then in 1870,… Continue reading A Biography of Alexander Graham Bell

By Tim Lambert Joseph Lister is famous as the surgeon who invented antiseptic surgery. Lister was born on 5 April 1827 in Upton in Essex. He was one of 7 children and his father was a wine merchant. The Lister family were Quakers. At the age of 11, Joseph Lister was sent to school in… Continue reading A Biography of Joseph Lister

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Charles Dickens was born in a house in Mile End Terrace on the edge of Portsmouth on 7 February 1812. (It was given the name Mile End because it was about a mile from the gate in the wall around Portsmouth). At that time Portsmouth was dominated by the… Continue reading A Biography of Charles Dickens

By Tim Lambert Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born in Portsea, Portsmouth on 9 April 1806. His father Isambard Marc Brunel was also an engineer. He was born in France in 1769 but he fled abroad in 1793 during the French Revolution. In 1799 he married Sophia Kingdom and they had 3 children, Sophia, Isambard, and Emma. Isambard… Continue reading A Biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel

By Tim Lambert James Simpson was born on 7 June 1811 in the village of Bathgate in Linlithgowshire, Scotland. His parents were the village bakers and he was one of 7 children. However, his mother died when he was 9 years old. James Simpson attended the parish school then when he was 14 he went… Continue reading A Biography of James Simpson

By Tim Lambert His Early Life James Clerk Maxwell was one of the great scientists of the 19th century. James was born on 13 June 1831 at 14 India Street, Edinburgh. His father John Clerk Maxwell was a wealthy landowner. His mother was Frances Maxwell. James had a sister but she died in infancy. In… Continue reading A Biography of James Clerk Maxwell