Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
09.Christopher Columbus
Europe had established a land route to Asia (China and India) under the Mongol Empire. It was very long. Columbus proposed a smaller route to reach Asia. He calculated the distance based on Marinus of Tyre and judge the circumference of Earth to be approximately 25000 kilometers. Experts, however don't agree with him. Based on calculations of Eratosthenes, the circumference of the Earth was held to be 40,000 kilometers.
In 1492, the King and Queen of Spain made him "Admiral of the sea" and made him the Viceroy and Governor of the new lands.
On 3rd of August, 1492, he started his first voyage. He sailed to Canary islands. He then went to Cuba and Hispaniola. In October, he discovered an island which was named 'San Salvador' . This is the present day Bahamas.
His second voyage began on the 24th of september, 1493 and he set sail from Cadiz. First of all, he went to Canary islands and stocked up there. He then visited and named Montserrat, Antigua, Redonda, Nevis, Saint Kitts, Sint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Martin, Saint Croix, and the Virgin Islands. Then he landed at Puerto Rico. He then returned to Spain.
On the 30th May, 1498, he undertook his third voyage. He sailed from Sanlucar in Spain. In July, he landed on the island of Trinidad and in August in the Gulf of Paris. After exploring South America, he sailed to Margarita island and then he sailed to Tobago Grenada. Then he returned to Spain.
Christopher Columbus died on the 20th of May, 1506. His remains are preserved in the Cathedral of Seville in Spain borne by four statues representing the Kingdoms of Navarre, Castille, Aragon and Leon.
October 3, 2009
08.Johann Gutenberg
Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450's, and the first book to ever be printed was a Latin language Bible, printed in Mainz, Germany. Gutenberg's Bibles were surprisingly beautiful, as each leaf Gutenberg printed was later colorfully hand-illuminated. Born as "Johann Gensfleisch" (John Gooseflesh), he preferred to be known as "Johann Gutenberg" (John Beautiful Mountain). Ironically, though he had created what many believe to be the most important invention in history.
Gutenberg was a victim of unscrupulous business associates who took control of his business and left him in poverty. Nevertheless, the invention of the movable-type printing press meant that Bibles and books could finally be effectively produced in large quantities in a short period of time. This was essential to the success of the Reformation.
To know more about him. Must see :
Life of Johann Gutenberg
September 29, 2009
07.Ts'ai Lun
Ts'ai Lun (simplified Chinese: 蔡伦; traditional Chinese: 蔡倫; pinyin: Cài Lún; Wade-Giles: T'sai Lun),courtesy name Jingzhong (敬仲), was a Chinese eunuch. He was born in ca. 50 AD in Guiyang (today Leiyang), China. He is regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper (as opposed to Egyptian papyrus). Although paper existed in China before Cai Lun (since the2 nd century BC), he was responsible for the first significant improvement and standardization of papermaking by adding essential new materials into its composition.He lived and served as an official at the Chinese Imperial Court at the Han Dynasty in China at about 1800 years ago. In or about the year 105 A.D., he presented Emperor Han Ho Ti with samples of paper. Chinese records do mention and credit Tsai, Lun with the invention of paper. His name is well known in China.
Tsai, Lun was a eunuch. Because he was an officer, he had the access to lots of resources, including money and human resources, for papermaking research. He was promoted by the Emperor for his invention and became wealthy. Later he got involved in palace intrigue, which led to his downfall. Finally he ended his life drinking poison. He died in 121 AD in China.
In China, before Tsai, Lun, books were made of bamboo, which were heavy and clumsy. Some books were made of silks, which were very expensive. In the West at that time, books were made of sheepskin or calfskin. Tsai, Lun improved the technology of making paper from sesame fiber. He used recycleable meterials such as bamboo, tree skin and shabby cloth to make paper. The technique of papermaking was kept as a secret for five centuries in China. In 751, some Chinese papermakers were captured by Arabs, and later paper was produced in the Middle East. The arts of papermaking gradually spread and in the twelfth century the Europeans learned the arts from the Arabs. Paper became the most common writing material in the West.
Today, paper is the most commonly used materials in human life, not just as a medium of communication. Tsai, Lun's contribution to civilization is priceless!
06.Saint Paul
According to the Acts of the Apostles, his conversion took place on the road to Damascus. Thirteen epistles in the New Testament are attributed to Paul, though authorship of six of the thirteen has been questioned. Paul's influence on Christian thinking arguably has been more significant than that of any other New Testament author.
He died in c 64-65 AD in Rome and was buried there.
If you want to know more about him, see :
Life Of Saint Paul
September 16, 2009
05.Confucius
Confucius (Chinese: 孔子; pinyin: Kǒng zǐ; Wade-Giles: K'ung-tzu, or Chinese: 孔夫子; pinyin: Kǒng Fūzǐ; Wade-Giles: K'ung-fu-tzu), lit. "Master Kong". He was born on September 28, 551 B.C.E. – 479 B.C.E. He was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life.
His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Legalism (法家) or Taoism (道家) during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.).
Confucius' thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism (儒家). It was introduced to Europe by the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci, who was the first to Latinise the name as "Confucius."
His teachings may be found in the Analects of Confucius (論語), a collection of "brief aphoristic fragments", which was compiled many years after his death. Modern historians do not believe that any specific documents can be said to have been written by Confucius, but for nearly 2,000 years he was thought to be the editor or author of all the Five Classics (五經) such as the Classic of Rites (禮記) (editor) , and the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋) (author).
04.Gautama Buddha
(Sammāsambuddha) of our age.
The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c. 563 BCE to 483 BCE. More recently, however, at a specialist symposium on this question, the
majority of those scholars who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha's death, with others supporting earlier or later dates.
Gautama Buddha, also known as Śākyamuni or Shakyamuni ("sage of the Shakyas"), is the key figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to Gautama were passed down by oral tradition, and first committed to writing about 400 years later. Early Western scholarship tended to accept the biography of the Buddha presented in the Buddhist scriptures as largely historical, but currently "scholars are increasingly reluctant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha's life and teachings."
If you want to know more about Gautama , please follow this link :
Life of Gautama Buddha
September 15, 2009
03.Jesus Christ-Isa (A.S)
Jesus of Nazareth also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity, and within most Christian denominations he is venerated as the Son of God and as God incarnate. Christians also view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. However, Judaism rejects these claims. Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah while several other religions revere him in some way.
The principal sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels though some scholars argue that other texts (such as the Gospel of Thomas) are as relevant as the canonical gospels to the historical Jesus.Academic studies remain inconclusive about the chronology, the central message of Jesus' preaching, his social class, cultural environment, and religious orientation. Scholars offer competing descriptions of Jesus as the awaited Messiah, as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement.
Christian views of Jesus center on the belief that Jesus is divine, is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and that he was resurrected after his crucifixion. Christians predominantly believe that Jesus is the "Son of God" (generally meaning that he is God the Son, the second person in the Trinity) who came to provide salvation and reconciliation with God by his death for their sins. Other Christian beliefs include Jesus' virgin birth, performance of miracles, ascension into Heaven, and a future Second Coming. While the doctrine of the Trinity is widely accepted by most Christians, a few groups reject as non-scriptural, wholly or partly, the doctrine of the Trinity.
In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عيسى, commonly transliterated as Isa (A.S )) is considered one of God's important prophets, a bringer of scripture, and a worker of miracles. Jesus is also called "Messiah", but Islam does not teach that he was divine. Islam teaches that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven without experiencing the crucifixion and resurrection, rather than the traditional Christian belief of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
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