“It hurts me to see my son die, but I cannot lose my people.” 782: Kurmanjan Datka United Kyrgyzstan as a Country Born: 22 May 1811, Pamir-Alay Mountains (Present-day Kyrgyzstan) Died: 1 February 1907, Osh, Kyrgyzstan After running away from an arranged marriage when she was eighteen, Kurmanjan later married a local feudal leader for…
“God help anyone who walked on the lawn after Mary had cut it.” -One of the Nuns Mary lived with 781: Mary Fields She Wasn’t Called Stagecoach for Nothing Born: c. 1832, Hickman County, Tennessee, United States of America Died: 5 December 1914, Cascade, Montana, United States of America Mary was the First African American…
These are the entries born in the Republic of Ghana, or within the borders of that modern day country. Entries: Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of the Ejisu People Yennenga, Mother of the Mossi People
780: Yennenga Mother of the Mossi People Born: Early 12th to 15th Century AD, Kingdom of Dagomba (Present-day Republic of Ghana) Died: Early 12th to 15th Century AD Also Known As: Yalanga or Poko The Mossi hail from present-day Burkina Faso and most of what we know of Yennenga comes from the Mossi people’s oral…
“In these days of great trouble and unrest, it is good to have something outside our own planet, something fine and distant and comforting to troubled minds. Let people look to the stars for comfort.” 779: Annie Jump Cannon Astronomer and Categorizer of the Stars Born: 11 December 1863, Dover, Delaware, United States of America…
778: Grace McDaniels The Mule-Faced Woman Born: 17 March 1888, Numa, Iowa, United States of America Died: 14 March 1958, Gibsonton, Florida, United States of America Grace was a sideshow performer who had elephantiasis of the lip which caused her deformity (also called Sturge-Weber Syndrome). Grace’s condition made speaking difficult, and it took her years…
777: Ella Harper The Camel Girl Born: 5 January 1870, Gallatin, Tennessee, United States of America Died: 19 December 1921, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America Ella was born with a rare orthopedic condition that made her knees bend backwards (called congenital genu recurvatum). Ella’s sideshow name was the camel girl because she preferred to…
“I please myself and care not else who loves me,” -Moll’s character in the play “The Roaring Girl” 776: Mary Frith Notorious Underworld Figure and Pick Pocket Born: c.1584 London, England (Present-day London, England, United Kingdom) Died: 26 July 1659, Fleet Street, London, England (Present-day Fleet Street, London, England, United Kingdom) Also Known As: Moll…
775: Gertrude Bell The Queen of the Desert Born: 14 July 1868, Washington, England, United Kingdom Died: 12 July 1926, Baghdad, Iraq Gertrude helped map Iraq for the British government while simultaneously helping found the modern version of the country in the aftermath of World War I. Gertrude grew up in a well to do…
“I think God intended it for me. After all, it hit me!” 774: Ann Hodges Meteorite Victim Born: 2 February 1920, Most Likely Alabama, United States of America Died: 10 September 1972, Sylacauga, Alabama, United States of America Ann is the only known person to have been directly hit and injured by a meteorite and…