L. L. Zamenhof was born on 15 December 1859 in Białystok. A Polish-Jewish physician and linguist, Zamenhof grew up in Białystok, a city where Poles, Russians, Germans and Jews lived side by side and often in conflict, and he came to believe that a common neutral language could help to bring peoples closer together. In 1887 he published a short book introducing his constructed language under the pen name Doktoro Esperanto, meaning one who hopes, and the language later took the name Esperanto. It has a regular grammar and a vocabulary drawn mainly from European languages. The first World Esperanto Congress was held in 1905, and the language gained a global community of speakers. Zamenhof worked as an eye doctor in Warsaw until his death.
Before and after
- 18 October 1859Birth of Henri Bergson
- 20 October 1859Birth of John Dewey
- from 25 October 1859 to 1 January 1862Prussian expedition to East Asia (1859-1862)
- 24 November 1859On the Origin of Species
- 15 December 1859Birth of L. L. Zamenhof
- 1860Discovery of caesium
- 1860Introduction of Finnish markka
- from c. 1860s to 1890sSecond Industrial Revolution
- c. 1860sRise of modern art
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The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.