Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. Born on 9 April 1835 in Brussels, he was the eldest surviving son of Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, and his second wife, …
People in history
Roy Hackett: A life of activism from Jamaica to Bristol
Roy Hackett, a remarkable figure in the civil rights movement, not only left an indelible mark on the city of Bristol, but he also played a crucial role in shaping its history. Born in Jamaica and …
His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I
Emperor Haile Selassie ruled Ethiopia between 1930 and 1974. He steered his country into mainstream post-World War II African politics through his modernisation efforts. Ethiopia was admitted to the …
Francisco Franco: Spain’s controversial dictator
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (1892–1975) was a Spanish military leader and dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 until he died in 1975. Born in El Ferrol, Galicia, into a naval family, Franco’s …
Leon Trotsky: A revolutionary influencer
Leon Trotsky’s name is synonymous with the 20th-century socialist and communist movements, and his role in the tumultuous events of Russia’s modern history is unquestioned. As a committed …
The life of Dido Elizabeth Belle: A story of triumph and advocacy
Dido Elizabeth Belle was a unique figure in 18th-century England, a time entrenched in the transatlantic slave trade. Born in 1761 to an enslaved woman named Maria Belle and a British naval officer, …
Vladimir Lenin: The revolutionary leader who shaped a nation
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian communist revolutionary and politician who played an integral role in forming the Soviet Union. Born on 22 April 1870 in …
Sir Francis Kerr-Jarrett – Jamaican landowner
Francis Kerr-Jarrett was a landowner and sugar manufacturer in Jamaica. He served as Custos Rotulorum of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, from 1933–1965.
Custos rotulorum is Latin for ‘keeper of the …
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a prominent British-Sierra Leonean composer and conductor born on 15 August 1875 and passed away on 1 September 1912. He is often remembered for his choral work …
Emmett Till – Life and death
The brutal abduction and murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till on 28 August 1955 brought nationwide attention to the racial violence and injustice prevalent in Mississippi. It also spurred the emerging …
Madam C J Walker
Madam C J Walker was an entrepreneur best known for inventing Black haircare products. She was a political social activist, philanthropist and the first female self-made millionaire.
Early …
Onesimus – the slave who helped quell the Boston smallpox outbreak
Onesimus was an enslaved West African man whose African teachings helped to reduce the impact of the smallpox outbreak in Boston, Massachusetts.
Little is known about Onesimus before he was …