Prince Henry was the fifth son of King John I of Portugal and of Queen Philippa, grand-daughter of Edward III of England. In his youth he had proved himself to be a brave warrior, but his one desire in life was to extend the sea-routes of the world and to make his country rich by trade. He set up an …

Steve Nash — Stephen John Nash, OC, OBC was born on 7 February 1974. He is a Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nash, who was born in South Africa to British parents but grew up in Canada, enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually …

Sean (Diddy) Combs — Sean John Combs was born on November 4, 1969, currently known by his stage name Diddy, is an American record producer, rapper, actor, and men’s fashion designer. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally known …

Joseph Alois Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, was born on 16 April, Holy Saturday, 1927 at Marktl am Inn, Diocese of Passau (Germany)and was baptised on the same day. He was the third and youngest child of Joseph Ratzinger, Sr., a police officer, and Maria Ratzinger. His father, belonged to an old family of farmers from Lower Bavaria of modest economic …

Paul Newman — Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian and auto racing enthusiast. He won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, an Emmy award, and many honorary awards. He also won several national championships as a driver in Sports Car Club …

The story of man’s attempt to rival the birds is as old as the human race. From Greek mythology we have the story of Icarus who had wings of feathers sewn on with threads and fastened with wax. He flew too near the sun, and the wax melted. Icarus fell into the sea and was drowned. Oliver of Malmesbury, an …

Tommy was (and still is) the nickname of the British soldier – the typical private. The custom began with the use of the name in specimen forms laid down in Army Regulations after the Napoleonic Wars, to show how forms should be filled in with the soldier’s name and other details about him. As Rudyard Kipling wrote: Oh, it’s Tommy …

Galileo, the Italian scientist, invented the thermometer in 1593. At that time, however, it was used to measure pressure changes in relation to weather predictions, rather than to take a human temperature!

George Calvert was a favourite courtier of King James I, who made him Lord Baltimore and promised him a grant of land in the region of Newfoundland. Baltimore sailed for his new territory but decided that the place was too cold and barren for him. He complained, and the new king, Charles I, agreed to give him part of Virginia …

Mary Leakey was born Mary Douglas Nichol on February 6, 1913, in London, England to Erskine Edward Nichol and Cecilia Marion (Frere) Nichol. Since Erskine worked as a painter, specializing in water colour landscapes, the Nichol family would move from place to place, visiting numerous locations in the USA, Italy, and Egypt, where Erskine painted scenes to be sold in …