April 1, 1826 - Sometimes, the Lord works in very interesting ways. When Baptist missionary Jonathan Goble arrived in Japan on April 1, 1826, he was completely unaware that his wife would become seriously ill eleven years later. In response to advice he received from Japanese doctors, he instructed his wife to spend ample time outdoors. He was also told to have four men carry her about, but Goble was not satisfied with this. As a result, he invented a two-wheeled cart pulled with long poles, thus creating the rickshaw. While he never claimed a patent for his invention, he certainly improved the working lives of many that he came in contact with.

Francis Asbury, a driving force behind early American Methodism, died on March 31, 1816. An English-born missionary, Asbury traveled thousands of miles on horseback across the American frontier, preaching and organizing Methodist societies.