Samuel Gridley Howe was one of the most iconic figures in American history in the emancipation of the colored in the United States.

He visited Greece for the first time as a 16-year-old ensign in 1800 and wrote: "The Greeks are brave, honest, openand generous people".

Frank Abney Hastings fought in the War of Greek Independence and was the first commander to use a ship with auxiliary steam power.

The Swiss philhellene, John Jacob Meyer, was a great patriot of Greece and internationally recognised as the pioneer of Greek journalism.

Pietro Tarella was one of the first organizers of a regular army in Greece and a hero of the battle of Peta, a village 5km out of Arta.

Poet, novelist, and dramatist, Victor Hugo is considered the most important of the French Romantic writers.

Although Gordon’s activity in the Greek Revolution was short, he was the first English philhellene to join the Greek forces.

The American-French philhellene, Sophie de Marbois-Lebrun, supported the military needs of the Greek national struggle.

George Gordon Byron was an English peer, known as a poet, politician and one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement.

An anniversary issue because we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution and “Free Athens” comes back to the city centre.