Books

  • There is one myth about Audrey Hepburn I have to dispel: she was not British-Belgian. In Belgium, as in many other European countries, you don’t automatically obtain citizenship just because you’re born there. You typically inherit the nationality of your parents, usually that of the father or, in some cases, the mother. Audrey was born…

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  • Vere Thomas St. Leger Goold was born in 1853 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, into an aristocratic family with a strong military background. The Goolds were part of the Anglo-Irish upper class, and young Vere was afforded all the advantages of a privileged upbringing: access to elite education, exposure to genteel society, and the leisure…

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  • Before he built the final frontier, Gene Roddenberry lived a life that read like an adventure novel. Long before he was a Hollywood showrunner preaching a utopian future of interstellar cooperation, Roddenberry was a decorated combat pilot, an international airline captain, and a street-hardened Los Angeles police officer. These early chapters of his career did…

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  • U.S. Patent No. 90,646 stands as one of the most important milestones in the history of technology: it was Thomas Alva Edison’s first patented invention. Granted on June 1, 1869, the patent covered an “Improvement in Electrographic Vote-Recorders.” Edison developed the device at just 22 years old while working as a telegraph operator. His goal…

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  • Anne Frank’s schoolmates played a significant role in her early life, forming a close circle of friends that shared childhood dreams, games, and conversations during a turbulent time Anne Frank attended two main schools in Amsterdam before she and her family went into hiding: Montessori School (from 1934 to 1941)Jewish Lyceum (from 1941 to 1942)Since…

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  • White House Prom

    We sometimes forget that the White House is not only the residence of the President of the USA , but also the residence of the President’s family. In 1975 Susan Ford, daughter of President Gerald Ford, was in her final year at Holton-Arms School.Her classmates, petitioned headmaster James Lewis to ask Susan if she could arrange…

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  • Auguste van Pels, born September 29, 1900, in Buer, Germany, lived through one of the most tragic periods in history, ultimately losing her life during the Holocaust. Though she might have remained unknown to the world, she is now remembered as one of the residents of the Secret Annex, a small group of Jewish individuals…

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  • Buchenwald Liberated

    Buchenwald was one of the largest concentration camps established by the Nazis, located near Weimar, Germany. It was operational from 1937 until its liberation on April 11, 1945, by American forces. When the American soldiers arrived at Buchenwald, they were shocked by the appalling conditions they encountered. The camp was overcrowded, with thousands of emaciated…

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  • My Letter to Anne Frank

    Dear Anne, You don’t know me, but I know you. In fact, nearly everyone knows you, and yet no one really knows you. We know you through the personal stories you wrote in your diary. We see each word, each letter and each paragraph, but we don’t see your hopes, your fears or your anxiety.…

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  • Phil Bloom in Hoepla

    This is a bit of a deviation of my usual blogs but Phil Bloom has a significant cultural meaning to the Netherlands .The name Phil Bloom will mean very little to people outside of the Netherlands. She is an artist and actress On July 28,1967 she caused quite some controversy and a scandal. She was…

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