My Name is George Mason: The Reluctant Patriot and Defender of Liberty I was born in 1725 on a plantation in Fairfax County, Virginia, along the banks of the Potomac River. My father died when I was still a boy, and my mother raised me with the quiet strength and dignity of a woman managing land and people in a changing colony. From her I learned patience, justice, and the importance of responsibility. I spent much of my youth studying law, philosophy, and government on my ow

My Name is Agum II (Agum-Kakrime): The Restorer of Babylon When I first looked upon Babylon, she was silent. The walls that had once echoed with the prayers of Marduk were cracked and blackened. The Hittites had come like a storm, striking down the house of Hammurabi and carrying away the statue of our great god. The Old Babylonian kings were gone, their cities left to ash and despair. I was not of their line. I was Kassite, born from the mountain tribes of the Zagros, a peop

My Name is Henry Knox: Soldier of the Revolution and Guardian of the Republic I was born in Boston in 1750, the son of a shipbuilder who passed away when I was just nine years old. Poverty pressed hard upon my family, so I left school early to work in a bookstore. Yet, surrounded by volumes on history, science, and warfare, I found my education among the pages. The art of fortification and military tactics fascinated me most, and though I could not attend a formal academy, I

My Name is Naram-Sin: King of the Four Quarters of the World I was born into the glory of an empire built by my grandfather, Sargon of Akkad, a man whose name was whispered with awe across Mesopotamia. From the Mediterranean to the mountains of Elam, all bowed before his might. I grew up in marble halls and golden temples, where scribes recorded his victories and priests offered incense to the gods who had favored him. I was told that I would one day inherit this world, and I

My Name is Robert Morris: The Financier of the Revolution I was born in Liverpool, England, in 1734, but destiny carried me across the Atlantic when I was but a boy. My father, a tobacco merchant, sent me to Maryland, where I was to learn the ways of commerce and opportunity. When he died in an unfortunate accident, I was left with little but ambition and a knack for trade. By the age of twenty, I had become a partner in the mercantile firm of Willing & Morris in Philadelphia

My Name is Deioces: Founder of the Median Kingdom I was born among the Median tribes, in the rugged highlands of the Zagros Mountains, where each clan guarded its valley and freedom fiercely. We were a scattered people—farmers, herders, and traders—living between mighty powers: the Assyrians to the west, the Urartians to the north, and the Persians to the south. There was no unity among us, only endless disputes and the threat of foreign raids. Yet from my youth, I longed for

My Name is John Adams: Patriot, Diplomat, and Second President of the U.S. I was born on October 30, 1735, in the small town of Braintree, Massachusetts. My father was a farmer and deacon, a man of faith and principle, who taught me the value of hard work and education. I studied at Harvard College, where I developed a deep love for learning and a passion for reason and debate. Though I first considered becoming a minister, I was drawn instead to the law, believing it was thr

My Name is Kutir-Nahhunte I: King of Elam I am Kutir-Nahhunte, King of Elam, ruler of a land born from mountains and rivers, from the will of gods and the strength of men. I was not born into peace. My early years were marked by the shadow of foreign powers pressing upon our borders. The Akkadian kings to the west sought to subdue us, while rival clans within Elam vied for influence. As a prince of the royal line of Susa, I was taught from childhood that to survive in such ti

My Name is Benjamin Franklin: Philosopher, Inventor, and Diplomat I was born in Boston in 1706, the fifteenth of seventeen children. My father was a candlemaker, and though our means were modest, my hunger for knowledge was anything but. Books were my teachers when schools were beyond our reach. I apprenticed to my brother James, a printer, and soon found myself in the lively world of ideas and public debate. Writing under the name “Silence Dogood,” I learned that words could

My Name is Enmebaragesi of Kish: The King Who Looked Beyond the Mountains I am Enmebaragesi, King of Kish, ruler of the land between the Tigris and Euphrates, where the rivers kiss the fertile plains. My name has been carved upon stones older than memory itself, written in the language of the Sumerians. In my time, the world was still young—cities were few, and kings were measured not only by power but by the stories their people told. I rose to rule Kish when the gods favore