Jessica Snethen, Author at

Independent Historian

Jessica Snethen is a 2009 graduate of the University of Washington where she received a BA degree in United States History, with a focus in the Civil War and Civil rights periods. She plans to pursue a Masters in History and Education.

DeFord Bailey (1899-1982)

Country music pioneer DeFord Bailey was born in 1899 in Carthage, Tennessee. Stricken with infantile paralysis at the age of three, he was given a harmonica as a means of amusement. Bailey overcame polio, but he never grew taller than four feet, ten inches. However, … Read MoreDeFord Bailey (1899-1982)

Wole Soyinka (1934- )

Akinwande Ouwole “Wole” Soyinka, the first African writer to win a Nobel Prize in Literature (1986) was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria on July 13, 1934. His father, Canon S.A. Soyinka, was an Anglican minister and his mother, Grace Eniola, was the daughter of an Anglican … Read MoreWole Soyinka (1934- )

Fela Kuti (1938-1997)

Fela Kuti was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria in the year 1938 as Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-KutFela Anikuplap Kuti. He later shortened his name to Fela Kuti, as he saw his birth name as a symbol of slavery and oppression. He also was popularly known as … Read MoreFela Kuti (1938-1997)

Queen Nzinga (1583-1663)

Queen Nzinga (Nzinga Mbande), the monarch of the Mbundu people, was a resilient leader who fought against the Portuguese and their expanding slave trade in Central Africa. During the late 16th Century, the French and the English threatened the Portuguese near monopoly on the sources … Read MoreQueen Nzinga (1583-1663)

William V. S. Tubman (1895-1971)

William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman, an Americo-Liberian, served 27 years as President of Liberia, longer than any president before or after him. Tubman, who is regarded by some in his country as the “father of modern Liberia,” was born on November 29, 1895 in Harper, Liberia. … Read MoreWilliam V. S. Tubman (1895-1971)

Miriam Makeba (1932-2008)

Zenzile Miriam Makeba, world renowned South African singer, was born in Johannesburg on March 4, 1932. She studied music for eight years at the Kilmerton Training Institute in Pretoria, South Africa and toured with amateur groups before beginning her professional career in 1954 with the … Read MoreMiriam Makeba (1932-2008)

Alfonso I [King] (?-1543)

Born Nzinga Mbemba, King Alfonso I was the leader of the Kongolese people in the early part of the 16th Century. Mbemba developed a strong trade relationship with the Portuguese and adopted Catholicism as a result of this relationship. The influence of the Catholic faith … Read MoreAlfonso I [King] (?-1543)