Jacob A. Riis was born in Skolegade in Ribe 1849. The photojournalist Jacob A. Riis left Ribe in 1870 - young and hopelessly in love - for America, with a dream af a new and rich life.
Jacob A. Riis, the first person to use photography to focus on the plight of the poor, was named "the most useful citizen of New York" by President Roosevelt.
He worked tirelessly for the poor and homeless in New York.