Welcome to another episode of Today in History — I’m Sen, your host.

Try and listen to today’s historical events twice. On this first listen, just try and focus on the sounds and rhythm of what is being said.

Here we go. So, what happened today in history?

On July 13, 1944, Hungarian professor and inventor Ernő Rubik was born. He is best known for his invention of mechanical puzzles — the most renowned being the Rubik’s Cube. Since its debut in 1974, there have been over 450 million sold worldwide.

On the same day in 1934, novelist, poet, playwright and activist Wole Soyinka was born in Abeokuta in western Nigeria. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, he became the first Black African laureate. To date, Soyinka has published around 20 works spanning plays, novels, poems, biographies, and essays. His work often incorporates the use of satire to create pointed political commentary about the use of power. He is intensely politically active, using his writing and speeches as a medium for protest against government corruption, the military and apartheid in South Africa.

One year later in Toco, Trinidad, Earl Lovelace was born. A novelist, journalist and playwright as well, he is known for creating work fully steeped in Trinidadian culture, mixing colloquial styles from the island into texts and featuring portraits of rural and urban life in dramatic fiction. His most recent book, “Is Just A Movie”, won the 2012 OCM Books Prize for Caribbean Literature. His works have been praised for their vivid, reflective portrayals and celebration of island life, while simultaneously reckoning with the realities of postcolonial existence.

Now, rewind, and hear it all again. This time, try to focus more on the meaning of the words. See how much of the episode you can understand.

That’s it for this episode of Today in History. Be sure to join me tomorrow for some more historical facts!