Introduction

Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born on May 19, 1744 in the town of Miho. In 1761, the first life insurance policy in North America was written in Philadelphia. Lady Mary Wortley-Montague headed back to London for a final time after years of living abroad. Grand Duchess Catherine was months and one rebellion away from becoming Empress Catherine. Sibyl Lettington, revolutionary horse-riding teen, Henry Shrapnel, artillery inventor, and the future Madame Tussaud were all born. And in 1761, a young foreign princess found herself Queen of England.