Named in honour of Ernst Heinrich Bruns (1848-1919), a German mathematician and astronomer, who also contributed to the development of the field of theoretical geodesy (measurement of the Earth’s relative geometry, gravity and orientation over time). He was mainly engaged in developing the theoretical side of Earth’s shape.
Name origin: Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (1861-1930), a Norwegian polymath, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, explorer, scientist, diplomat and humanitarian. He led the team that first crossed the interior of Greenland, reached a record northern latitude exploring to the North Pole, studied zoology and oceanography, and worked with the League of Nations.
Aguntum was an ancient Roman site in what is now East Tirol, Austria (about 4km east of Lienz, the discoverer’s birthplace). The city was likely built as a mining and trading centre due to local supplies of iron, copper, zinc and gold.
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in Middlesex, Jamaica. It was laid out in 1816, and named after Viscount Mandeville, the eldest son of the Duke of Manchester, who was then governor of Jamaica.
Name origin: The genus Luscinia, which contains the common nightingale and three other living species. These are migratory birds originating from Europe and Asia, occurring at various latitudes but more prevalent in temperate regions. The common nightingale is renowned for its powerful and beautiful song.
Auravictrix is Latin for ‘victory against the wind’ (named for the first Schütte-Lanz zeppelin flights in 1911). The Schütte-Lanz company was an early competitor of the more famous airships built by Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
Name origin: Unknown. Agnes is a female given name derived from Greek, and meaning ‘pure’ or ‘holy’. The popularity of St. Agnes of Rome (c. 291-21 January 304) boosted wide use of the name, which became the third commonest for women in English-speaking countries for more than 400 years, peaking in the early 20th century. There are multiple variants.
Olympia, officially Archaia Olympia, was a Panhellenic religious sanctuary in ancient Greece, where the early Olympic Games were held from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE, before being restored in 1894. The games were held in the name of Zeus, and drew visitors from the entire Greek world
Name origin: The large forests that the discoverer loved to explore throughout his life; initially as a young boy in Massachusetts; then (once in Germany) around Heidelberg, as well as the Black Forest and the Odenwald. The name is Latin for ‘forest lands’.
Veritas is the name given to the Roman virtue of truthfulness, considered one of the main qualities any good Roman should possess, and the Goddess of Truth, daughter of Saturn. The Greek equivalent is Aletheia.
