10 euro – 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Agostino Levanzin

Agostino Levanzin was born on 23 May 1872. In 1886, he joined the Dockyard as a shipwright apprentice, and later started two newspapers Habib ta Culhadd and Is-Sengha. In 1893, he went to university to study medicine. He issued Lo Studente Maltese, a newspaper for university students, and Il Cottonera and Habib ta 'L Poplu. He qualified as a pharmacist, and in April 1900, he married Lucia Inglott. In September 1908, Levanzin started In-Nahla, a weekly newspaper, which was discontinued in 1912. He also wrote the historical novel Is-Sahhar Falzun. Levanzin believed in the health benefits of fasting. In 1912, the Carnegie Institution invited him to participate in a prolonged fasting experiment, which was held in Boston between 13 April and 15 May 1912. Levanzin remained in the United States, where he obtained a teaching post at the Los Angeles Chiropractic College. He wrote various articles, which were published in Maltese newspapers, on subjects instruction. He was one of the earliest Maltese proponents of female suffrage.