Britain in the middle of the eighteenth century, requisite conditions were in evidence for making that nation the first great industrial country, “the workshop of the world.” Already enjoying a vigorous commercial economy, Britain experienced a tremendous population growth and increasing trade at home and abroad.

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On July 4, 1776, a conclave of insurgent colonists in America passed the Declaration of Independence. War against the British had already been going on for over a year, so the Declaration came as the culmination of years of tempestuous events in America.

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When Christopher Columbus landed on America’s shores, he encountered copper-skinned people whom he promptly called “Indians“. Mistaken in his geography, he believed he had reached India. Current estimates indicate that there were over a million Indians inhabiting North America then. There are approximately 800,000 Indians today, of whom about 250,000 live on reservations.

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On September 2, 1945, the Communist Viet Minh party took over Vietnam and declared the country autonomous. The French, however, backed by the British, returned to Vietnam and forced the Viet Minh to attend the Fountainebleau Conference in 1946. Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh leader, was inflexible in his demands for unification of his country. The French had divided it into three parts: Cochin China in the south, Tonkin in the middle, and Annam in the north. A French decree making Cochin China a separate republic closed the door on any possible negotiations at the conference. War broke out between the French and the Viet Minh.

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Formerly called  Willems Kerk, this beautiful church with a domed roof was built  in honor of King Willem I of the Netherlands. He was renowned for his numerous efforts to unite the various denominations of Christianity  under one crown. The organ that is still being played today dates back to 1843, while the Bible was printed in 1748. The church’s name was changed to Immanuel (God will be with us) in 1948.

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