My Name is Edmund Jennings: Diplomat, Observer, and Voice Between Two Worlds I was born in the Colony of Virginia in 1731, the son of a family that moved comfortably in both British and colonial circles. From childhood I lived with one foot in America and the other in Britain, traveling back and forth across the Atlantic. These early crossings shaped me, for I grew to understand that life on either side of the ocean was not a world apart but part of a shared, complicated stor

My Name is Al-Tabari: Historian, Scholar, and Keeper of the World’s Memory I was born in the city of Amol in Tabaristan, a lush and mountainous region south of the Caspian Sea. From my earliest memories, I was drawn to learning with a passion that surprised even my parents. Before most children had mastered their letters, I had already begun memorizing the Qur’an. By the age of seven, I stood among scholars reciting passages, absorbing the words not only with my ears but with

My Name is William Irvine: General and Statesman of the Early Republic I was born in 1741 in County Fermanagh, Ireland, where the rolling green fields and firm Presbyterian traditions shaped my earliest years. My family instilled in me a sense of discipline, education, and moral duty. As a young man, I studied medicine, believing that knowledge of healing would allow me to serve both community and country. Yet even as I practiced medicine, I felt drawn to broader pursuits—lea

My Name is Isidore of Charax: Geographer, Traveler, and Recorder of Parthian I was born in Charax, a city that sat at the meeting point of cultures, caravans, and kingdoms. Whether my birthplace was Charax Spasinou at the mouth of the Persian Gulf or one of the many Charaxes scattered across the Near East, I grew up where merchants, soldiers, and ambassadors mingled. From my earliest days, I heard tales of far-off cities, desert kingdoms, and mountain strongholds carried alon

My Name Is Baron Johann de Kalb: Major General in the Continental Army I was born in 1721 in Hüttendorf, within the principality of Franconia, a land of forests, villages, and old traditions. My family was not wealthy, but through discipline and study, I earned a place in the armies of Europe, first serving in the forces of France. In those years, I learned the art of war—not merely the clash of steel but the organization, logistics, and discipline required to sustain an army

My Name is Seleucus I Nicator: Founder of the Seleucid Empire I was born in the rugged land of Macedon, the son of Antiochus, a noble of modest rank who served our king with loyalty. My youth was shaped by discipline, training, and the fierce pride of a people who believed themselves destined for greatness. When Philip II raised his son Alexander to command armies, I followed the young prince, sharpening my skills in war and leadership. Those early years taught me endurance,

My Name is John Hancock: President of the Second Continental Congress My name is John Hancock, and I was born into a world already stirring with questions of liberty, authority, and identity. I entered life in 1737 in Braintree, Massachusetts, but fate carried me to Boston after my father’s death, where my uncle and aunt took me in as their own. My uncle was one of the wealthiest merchants in New England, and under his guidance I learned the ways of commerce, negotiation, and

My Name is Aristotle: Philosopher and Teacher of Kings I was born in Stagira, a small city in northern Greece, far from the bustling intellectual centers of Athens. My father, Nicomachus, served as a physician to the king of Macedon, and from him I inherited both a fascination with the natural world and an understanding of how knowledge must be grounded in observation. My childhood was filled with plants, animals, and the tools of medicine, and even then I sensed that the uni

My Name is William Cushing: Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court I was born in 1732 in Scituate, Massachusetts, in a world still firmly rooted in its Puritan past. My father, John Cushing, was a respected justice of the Superior Court, and from him I learned that law was more than statutes and rulings—it was the safeguard of order and the protector of liberty. My childhood was shaped by books, quiet study, and long conversations about justice and morality. By

My Name is Gyges of Lydia: Founder of the Mermnad Dynasty I was not born into the noble Heraclid line that had ruled Lydia for generations. My father, Dascylus, served at court, and through him I learned early how power flowed between nobles, priests, and kings. Yet I also learned how fragile that power could be. King Candaules, the last of the Heraclids, grew careless with both his throne and his judgment. His pride in his wife’s beauty would draw me into a moment that chang