by Christine Nicholls | Sep 29, 2025 | Christine Nicholls
The Old Nyali Bridge On 8 Aug 1931 Mombasa stopped work. The Governor of Kenya was poised to open a new bridge linking Mombasa island to the north mainland, and everyone wanted to be there. The Governor arrived in a motorcade and in his formal speech opening the...
by Christine Nicholls | Jul 31, 2025 | Christine Nicholls
To the north-west of Mombasa island is an inlet and on its mainland side is a flat piece of land later named Port Reitz. It is now the site of Mombasa’s Moi International Airport. Why was this area called Port Reitz? In 1824 a young lieutenant in the Royal Navy set...
by Christine Nicholls | May 28, 2025 | Christine Nicholls
The First Europeans in Mombasa Recently archaeologists have said that the wreckage of a ship discovered off Malindi may have been from legendary explorer Vasco da Gama’s final voyage across the Indian Ocean. It is a Portuguese vessel and may have been Da Gama’s Sao...
by Christine Nicholls | Apr 8, 2025 | Christine Nicholls
Thomson in Maasailand Recently there have been articles in Old Africa about the Maasai, so it would be interesting to look at early European contacts with those peoples. In 1877 Maasai warriors had prevented Johann Maria Hildebrandt, a German botanist, from travelling...
by Christine Nicholls | Feb 28, 2025 | Christine Nicholls
Billiard Balls, Pianos and Elephants Before the invention of plastics, billiard balls, piano keys, combs and scores of other items were made of ivory. Playing the piano was called ‘tickling the ivories.’ More ivory was used for piano keys than for all other purposes...
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