Vasco da Gama (explorer of Asia and Africa)

Vasco de Gama was a Portuguese navigator, famed for leading an expedition which opened the sea route from Europe via the Cape of Good Hope to India.

Vasco was born, circa 1469, to a noble family (his father was Estêvão da Gama and his mother was Isabel Sodré) in Sines, Province of Alemtejo, Portugal.

Da Gama’s father had originally been chosen by King João II to make this historic voyage, but both passed away before the project could be carried into execution. De Gama was serving as a gentleman at court when he was chosen to lead the expedition to India, in January 1497. This expedition followed the pioneering expedition of Bartholomeu Dias who rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.

On the 8th July 1497 four ships left Lisbon - the Sao Gabriel, on which da Gama sailed, the Sao Rafael, the Berrio, and a storeship. At the beginning of November 1497 the fleet anchored in St. Helena Bay. They reached the Cape of Good Hope region on the 7th November 1497, and rounded the Cape on the 22nd November 1497. On the 25th of November they anchored in Mossel Bay. On 16 December 1497 the fleet arrived at the furthest landing point of Dias, gave the Natal-part of the name of the KwaZulu-Natal province on Christmas Day, and reached by the end of January, 1498, the month of the Zambesi, which was in the territory controlled by the Arabian maritime commercial association.

On the 20th May 1498 they reached Calicut and docked on the coast of Keraka, becoming the first Europeans to set foot in India. On setting his foot on South Asian soils on the dawn of May 21, 1498 Vasco de Gama shouted, "For Christ and spices!"

Having loaded up with spices Da Gama returned and finally reached Lisbon on the 9th September 1499.

Vasco da Gama died in (Cochin) India on the 24th December 1524. He was buried in a Franciscan monastery near the Old Fort.

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Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, guided his country through the most devastating experience in its national history--the CIVIL WAR. He is considered by many historians to have been the greatest American president.

Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Hardin (now Larue) County, Ky. Indians had killed his grandfather, Lincoln wrote, "when he was laboring to open a farm in the forest" in 1786; this tragedy left his father, Thomas Lincoln, "a wandering laboring boy" who "grew up, literally without education." Thomas, nevertheless, became a skilled carpenter and purchased three farms in Kentucky before the Lincolns left the state. Little is known about Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Abraham had an older sister, Sarah, and a younger brother, Thomas, who died in infancy.

In 1816 the Lincolns moved to Indiana, "partly on account of slavery," Abraham recalled, "but chiefly on account of difficulty in land titles in Kentucky." Land ownership was more secure in Indiana because the Land Ordinance of 1785 provided for surveys by the federal government; moreover, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 forbade slavery in the area. Lincoln's parents belonged to a faction of the Baptist church that disapproved of slavery, and this affiliation may account for Abraham's later statement that he was "naturally anti-slavery" and could not remember when he "did not so think, and feel."

Indiana was a "wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods." The Lincolns' life near Little Pigeon Creek, in Perry (now Spencer) County, was not easy. Lincoln "was raised to farm work" and recalled life in this "unbroken forest" as a fight "with trees and logs and grubs." "There was absolutely nothing to excite ambition for education," Lincoln later recalled; he attended "some schools, so called," but for less than a year altogether. "Still, somehow," he remembered, "I could read, write, and cipher to the Rule of Three; but that was all."

Lincoln's mother died in 1818, and the following year his father married a Kentucky widow, Sarah Bush Johnston. She "proved a good and kind mother." In later years Lincoln could fondly and poetically recall memories of his "childhood home." In 1828 he was able to make a flatboat trip to New Orleans. His sister died in childbirth the same year.

In 1830 the Lincolns left Indiana for Illinois. Abraham made a second flatboat trip to New Orleans, and in 1831 he left home for New Salem, in Sangamon County near Springfield. The separation may have been made easier by Lincoln's estrangement from his father, of whom he spoke little in his mature life. In New Salem, Lincoln tried various occupations and served briefly in the Black Hawk War (1832). This military interlude was uneventful except for the fact that he was elected captain of his volunteer company, a distinction that gave him "much satisfaction." It opened new avenues for his life.

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Detective Conan

Detective Conan is about an elementary school boy named Conan Edogawa. He solves mysteries and crimes through reasoning and logic and with the help of friends and nifty gadgets. Conan is really a 17-year-old famous high school detective, Shinichi Kudo. While investigating some suspicious activity, Shinichi was knocked over the head by a man dressed in black. During his semi-conscious state, an experimental drug was forced down his throat that was meant to kill him. Instead, Shinichi was shrunk into a little kid. In order to prevent the men who did this to him from hurting his friends and family, Shinichi changed his name to Conan Edogawa and now lives with his girlfriend, Ran and her dad.

Mr. Bean

Best known to American audiences as the Black Adder and Mr. Bean, black-haired, bug-eyed, and weak-chinned comedian Rowan Atkinson is one of the most popular funnymen in England whose keen, often black humor and knack for physical comedy has earned him a huge international following. Born in Newcastle, Atkinson was educated at Newcastle University and Oxford. While at the latter, he teamed up with budding screenwriter Richard Curtis to write comedy reviews for the Oxford Playhouse. Shortly thereafter, the two created material for the Edinburgh Fringe. By 1978, Atkinson's humor had earned him a devoted fan base and he was offered leading roles in two British television comedies. Instead, Atkinson chose to get involved in the internationally acclaimed comedy series Not the Nine O'Clock News as a writer and a performer. His performances in the oft-distinguished show earned Atkinson a British Academy Award and got him designated "BBC Personality of the Year" in 1980. His stage performances also continued to significantly increase his popularity.

Shin-chan

Shin Chan goes to Happy Bunny Kindergarten. His homeroom is called the Sunflower room. His friends are Cosmo, Ni-Ni, Bo, and Max.

The Cheeky Chappy has a dance called the "Bare Butt Boogie" which annoys his mom, Mittsy. His dad, Harry, seems to not mind, up until the episode "dad looses his eyebrows" when Shin-Chan tries to help out his dad shave his beard. Shin-chan also has a dog called Lucky.

Crayon Shin-chan is a Japanese manga and anime series written by Yoshito Usui. The title is commonly transliterated as either "Crayon Shin Chan" or "Crayon Shin-Chan" and is sold worldwide. The series follows the antics of five-year-old Shinnosuke Nohara and his parents, neighbors, friends, etc., and is set in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is called "Crayon Shin-chan" because "crayon" signifies the fact that Shin-chan goes to kindergarten. "Shin-chan" is the affectionate name for the main character.