My Name is John Thomas: Judge of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts I was born into a world of order, duty, and the sober expectations of New England life. From my earliest years, I understood that law was not merely a set of rules but the binding fabric that held together a people determined to govern themselves with fairness and restraint. Though I never sought fame, my life in the courts of Massachusetts placed me close to the great turning points that gave rise to the firs

My Name is Artobarzanes: Eldest Son of Darius I I entered the world at a time when Persia was still reeling from the chaos left by Cambyses II and the deception of the false Smerdis. My father, Darius, did not rise to power through gentle inheritance but through the blade and the boldness of seven men who risked everything to restore order. I was raised hearing those stories, and though I admired his courage, I also learned early that the throne of Persia was never secure, ne

My Name is Richard Henry Lee: Senator of the First United States Congress I was born into a world that seemed destined for upheaval. My family, old Virginia stock, carried a sense of duty to the colony and later to the rising nation. From an early age, I watched my father and uncles speak boldly of liberty and justice, and I learned quickly that a man’s voice could shape the course of events. My education was a mixture of private study, reflection, and the sharpening of my th

My Name is Darius I: King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire I was not born expecting to rule an empire stretching from the shores of the Aegean to the valleys of the Indus. Yet fate often chooses its own path. I began my life as a member of the Achaemenid royal family, serving loyally under Cambyses II. When unrest and confusion swept across the empire after his death, I stepped forward to restore order. My ascent was not peaceful. I defeated pretenders, quelled rebellions, a

My Name is John Lansing Jr.: Delegate of New York and Reluctant Architect I was born in Albany in 1754, a city that carried the sound of merchants’ carts, the sharp tongues of politicians, and the steady pulse of Dutch families who had lived there for generations. My own family was part of that old heritage, and from a young age I learned what it meant to balance civic duty with personal honor. New York was still a British colony in my youth, and the winds of independence had

My Name is Astyages: Last King of the Median Empire From above, where the sweep of time appears as a single long tapestry, I look back upon my life with the clarity that only distance can bring. I was the final ruler of a proud empire, the Median kingdom that stood between the ancient world’s shifting powers. My reign was marked by prophecy, fear, ambition, and the unexpected rise of a young Persian who would reshape history—my own grandson, Cyrus.   Heir to a Growing Empire

My Name is Edmund Randolph: The Constitutional Architect and America’s First Attorney General I was born on August 10, 1753, in Williamsburg, Virginia, into a family that had long been devoted to public service. My father, John Randolph, was a loyalist, while my uncle, Peyton Randolph, served as the first President of the Continental Congress. From an early age, I stood at the crossroads between loyalty to the Crown and commitment to the ideals of liberty. When the Revolution

My Name is Homer: The Poet of Early Memory My name is Homer, and though my eyes have long been clouded by time and blindness, I have seen farther into the soul of man than many who walked with sight. I was born among the Greeks, when the world was still new in story and song. My voice rose among the islands and shores of Ionia, where sailors told tales of heroes, gods, and distant lands. It was there I first heard whispers of people beyond the northern winds—horsemen of the e

My Name is Rufus King: The Federalist Diplomat I was born in 1755 in Scarborough, Massachusetts—what you now call Maine. My father was a prosperous merchant, and he saw to it that I was well educated. I attended Dummer Academy and later Harvard College, where I graduated in 1777, right in the midst of the American Revolution. I had intended to study law, but the world around me was changing too quickly for quiet study. The cause of liberty called to all young men of spirit, a

My Name is Tishtrya of the Steppe: Sky-Priest and Chieftain of the Sintashta People I was born beneath endless skies, where the wind rolls like a restless sea and the grass sings the names of our ancestors. My people, the Sintashta, lived where the rivers meet the horizon — a land both harsh and sacred. We followed the herds and the seasons, but unlike those before us, we built walls of earth and timber, forging the first strongholds of the steppe. From these fortresses, we w