George Smith (1840 to 1876)
Banknote Engraver Turns to Cuneiform.
George Smith, English Assyriologist, was born in London. In early life he was a banknote engraver, but gained an increasing interest in Oriental languages and explorations. He made several expeditions to the site of ancient Ninevah. During the first two (1873, 1874), he unearthed over 3,000 cuneiform tablets, including portions of the ancient Deluge (Noah's Flood) story. His skill at deciphering the writing led to his co-authoring Sir Henry Rawlinson's third volume of Cuneiform Inscriptions .
Faye Edgerton (1889 to 1968)
Protestant
She Discovered that God Speaks Navajo.
Birth of Missionary Faye Edgerton, author of the book God Speaks Navajo. From 1919 to 1922 she was a missionary to Korea; but there, her health broke, and she had to return to the States. In attempting to recover, someone suggested the climate of New Mexico/Arizona might be good for her. Settling among the Indians, she learned their language, reduced it to writing, and began teaching the Indians. Although she had some limited success, her main goal was to translate the New Testament into the Indian tongue. When published, the Indians were amazed, and often made the comment, "God speaks our language!" as they read His Word. This gave the title of the book about Faye Edgerton.