July 14 – Happy Birthday, Gertrude Bell

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nI first read about Gerturde Bell: “She was an archeologist and spy.”

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nWow! What a great combination!

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nBut her spying was relatively minor in Bell’s entire career, which involved exploration, mapping, writing, making policy, serving as a diplomat, and even wielding power!

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nBorn on this date in 1868, in England, Gertude Bell had quite a unique childhood for the time. Her mom died when she was just three years old, so she grew very close to her father. He was a mill owner – but he was progressive, and he made sure than his workers were well paid and cared for. When she was seven, her father remarried, and Bell’s step-mom was an author who actively promoted education for women.

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nBell went to college, including at the renowned Oxford University, and she was one of the few to earn a first-class honours degree in just two years.

nBell’s uncle was a diplomat in Persia (now Iran), and she visited him before spending a decade traveling the world, learning languages, working in archeology, and mountaineering in Switzerland! 

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nShe “conquered” a bunch of mountain peaks in the Alps but nearly died when bad weather hit her – she had to cling to a rope on a rock face for 48 hours before the storm abated and she was able to retreat down the mountain.

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During all this travel, Bell became fluent in Persian, Arabic, French, and German, and she learned quite a bit of Italian and Ottoman (Turkish). She wrote about her adventures in English, of course, and loads of Brits learned about the Middle East, in particular, by reading her books.

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nDuring World War I, Bell volunteered for the Red Cross in France, but she was asked to do a few spy-ish things like guiding soldiers through deserts. Her expertise in the Middle East – the terrain, the people, the history, and the languages – meant that she was important in guiding the post-war administration of the remains of the former Ottoman Empire. 

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nSome people say that Bell almost single-handedly founded modern Iraq!

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nBell founded an archeological museum in Baghdad. She lived in Iraq much of her life, including at the very end, and she is buried there.

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nAlso on this date:

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nPlan ahead:

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Check out my Pinterest boards for:

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• nJuly holidays

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• nJuly birthdays

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• nHistorical anniversaries in July
  

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• nAugust holidays

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• nAugust birthdays

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• nHistorical anniversaries in August

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