By Tim Lambert Early Mali In the 13th century, a powerful empire arose in West Africa, called the Mali Empire. It was founded by the legendary king Sundiata Keita. Mali was rich in gold fields. It also prospered because of trade in slaves across the Sahara. (Slaves from sub-Saharan Africa were exported to the Arab… Continue reading A Brief History of Mali
Category: Articles
A Brief History of Gabon
By Tim Lambert Early Gabon The earliest inhabitants of what is now Gabon were hunter-gatherers. They still live in parts of Gabon, but in the 14th and 15th centuries, Bantu-speaking people migrated to the region. They lived by farming and fishing along the coast and along the banks of rivers. In 1472, the Portuguese reached… Continue reading A Brief History of Gabon
A History of Cartoons
By Tim Lambert The First Cartoons The word cartoon comes from the Italian word cartone, meaning the heavy paper on which preliminary drawings for art were made. From the late 17th century to the mid-19th century, the word “cartoon” in English referred to a type of paper. However, around 1843, it was first used to… Continue reading A History of Cartoons
The Discovery of Dinosaurs
By Tim Lambert For centuries, people found fossils, but they did not understand what they were. However, in the early 19th century, it became clear that huge reptiles had once existed. They were later named dinosaurs. The remains of a mosasaurus were discovered in a quarry in the Netherlands in 1764. At first, people did… Continue reading The Discovery of Dinosaurs
A Brief History of Syria
By Tim Lambert Ancient Syria The Ancient history of Syria is one of being conquered by one empire after another. One of the first kingdoms in what is now Syria was Elba, which arose about 3,000 BC. However, it was conquered by Sargon of Akkad about 2330 BC, and it became part of his empire.… Continue reading A Brief History of Syria
A Brief History of Armenia
By Tim Lambert Early Armenia In the 9th century BC, what is now Armenia was part of the kingdom of Urartu. This Iron Age realm flourished until the 6th century, when it fell to the Medes. Armenia was then ruled by a succession of empires. The Medes were conquered by the Persians, and Armenia became… Continue reading A Brief History of Armenia
A History of Disabled People
By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Jonathan David Collins In the Middle Ages and the 16th century, if they could not work, disabled people relied on relatives and neighbours. There were also almshouses, but only a small number of disabled people lived in them. Often, they became beggars. In 1530, a law in England allowed disabled… Continue reading A History of Disabled People
A Brief History of Sierra Leone
By Tim Lambert Early Sierra Leone The indigenous people of Sierra Leone lived by farming, and they made pottery and iron tools. However, the written history of Sierra Leone dates back to the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century. A Portuguese explorer, Pedro de Sintra, named the country Serra Leoa, meaning lion’s teeth,… Continue reading A Brief History of Sierra Leone
A History of Road Safety
By Tim Lambert Road Safety in the 19th Century Today, road safety is much better than it was 100 years ago. Early cars were dangerous, and road accidents were common. However, road safety gradually improved during the 20th century. In Britain, the first speed limit was introduced in 1895. It was 2 miles per hour.… Continue reading A History of Road Safety
A History of Men’s Underwear
By Tim Lambert Early Men’s Underwear Men’s underwear has a very long history. Both Roman men and women wore a loincloth or shorts called a subligaculum. During the Middle Ages, men wore linen shorts called braies. The Industrial Revolution made the mass manufacture of underwear possible. The word pants is derived from a character in… Continue reading A History of Men’s Underwear