Profile of the Day

It’s St. Patrick’s Day! The holiday is observed on March 17, the day of death of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Image: Saint Patrick / Library of Congress Kidnapped by pirates at the age of 16, Saint Patrick was held captive as a slave in Ireland for six years before escaping and returning home to Britain. He became deeply devoted to Christianity and eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary to spread the… Read the full story

On this day in 1751, James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, was born at Belle Grove Plantation near Port Conway, Virginia. Image: James Madison / Wikimedia Commons Madison was the oldest of twelve children born to James Madison, Sr. and Eleanor “Nelly” Conway. His father served as a colonel in the militia during the American Revolutionary War. After reaching adulthood, Madison inherited Mount Pleasant, the largest tobacco plantation in the area. As… Read the full story

Today singer and actress Liza Minnelli turns 75! A powerhouse on the stage and screen, Minnelli has won numerous awards across the entertainment industry, including an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Image: Liza Minnelli / Wikimedia Commons Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of film legend Judy Garland and director Vincent Minnelli, it seemed Minnelli was destined to become a star. She made her film… Read the full story

Today we remember Scottish microbiologist Alexander Fleming, who died on March 11, 1955. Image: Alexander Fleming / Wikimedia Commons Fleming was born in Ayrshire, Scotland on August 6, 1881 to Hugh Fleming, a farmer, and Grace Stirling Morton. He studied medicine before serving as a physician during World War I. In 1928, Fleming made history when he discovered the world’s first antibiotic, penicillin. He stumbled on this revolutionary discovery by accident. Upon returning to his… Read the full story

On this day in 1879, Chinese-Malaysian physician and epidemiologist Wu Lien-teh was born. A pioneer of the medical field, Wu invented the surgical face covering that is widely considered to be the precursor to the N95 mask we have all become familiar with today. Image: Wu Lien-teh / Library of Congress Wu was born on March 10, 1879 in Penang, one of the three towns of the Straits Settlements in what is today Malaysia. His… Read the full story

Today we remember Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on what would have been his 87th birthday. Gagarin made history in 1961 when he became the first person to fly into outer space. Image: Yuri Gagarin / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives, Flickr Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in the village of Klushino near Gzhatsk in Smolensk, Oblast, Russia. He was the third for four children born to Alexey Ivanovich Gagarin, a carpenter,… Read the full story

On this day in 1873, Norwegian ski campion and polar explorer Olav Bjaaland was born. Image: Olav Bjaaland / Wikimedia Commons Bjaaland was born on March 5, 1873 on the Søndre Bjaaland farm at Morgedal in Telemark, Norway. The small village of Morgedal is known as the cradle of skiing. One of its most famous residents was Sondre Norheim, who is known as the father of modern skiing. Known at the time as one of… Read the full story

Do you have Portuguese ancestors? On this day in 1394, Henry the Navigator was born in Porto, Portugal. Image: Henry the Navigator / Wikimedia Commons The third child of the Portuguese king, John I, Henry was noted for his early exploration and expansion of Portuguese trade. At the age of 21, Henry, his brother and father captured the Moorish port of Ceuta in northern Morocco. The site had long been the base for Barbary pirates, who… Read the full story

“Ahoy!” That’s the greeting Alexander Graham Bell first proposed for answering the telephone. The inventor and engineer was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Image: Alexander Graham Bell / Library of Congress The second son born to Alexander Melville Bell and Eliza Grace Symond, Bell had two brothers who would later die of tuberculosis. His mother was mostly deaf and his father was a phonetician and taught elocution to the deaf. Born just “Alexander Bell,” the… Read the full story

Today we remember singer Karen Carpenter, who was born on this day in 1950. Along with her older brother Richard, Carpenter was part of the famous duo the Carpenters. Image: Karen Carpenter / Robert L. Knudsen, White House photo Carpenter was born on March 2, 1950 in New Haven, Connecticut to Agnes Reuwer Tatum and Harold Bertram Carpenter. Her older brother, Richard, developed an interest in music at an early age and was a gifted… Read the full story

On this day in 1802, French poet and novelist Victor Hugo was born. A leading figure of the Romantic movement in literature, today Hugo is considered to be one of the greatest French writers in history. Image: Victor Hugo / Library of Congress Hugo was born in Besançon, France on February 26, 1802 to Sophie Trébuchet and Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo, a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. A well regarded figure during his lifetime, Hugo is perhaps… Read the full story

Do you have a favorite Beatles song? Today we remember George Harrison, who was born on February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, England. Image: George Harrison / Wikimedia Commons The youngest of four children, much of Harrison’s early life was filled with music. He first joined Paul McCartney and John Lennon at the age of 14 when the group was still called the Quarrymen. Forming the Beatles with the addition of drummer, Ringo Starr, the rock… Read the full story

Did you enjoy reading fairy tales growing up? On this day in 1786, German author Wilhelm Grimm was born. Image: Wilhelm Grimm / Wikimedia Commons Wilhelm Carl Grimm was born on February 24, 1786 in Hanau, Germany. The younger half of the famous Brothers Grimm, Grimm began his professional career studying law at the University of Marburg alongside his brother Jacob. The brothers remained close throughout their lives and dedicated many years collecting and documenting German… Read the full story

Today we remember astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born on this day in 1473. Before Copernicus, the world believed the Earth was the center of the universe. Copernicus’s revelation that planets actually revolved around the sun, transformed scientific thought throughout the world. Image: Nicolaus Copernicus / Wikimedia Commons Copernicus was born in Toruń in northern Poland into a wealthy merchant family. With a keen interest in astrology and astronomy, Copernicus began to studied under astronomer… Read the full story

Happy birthday to John Travolta! Today the star turns 67. Image: John Travolta / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 John Joseph Travolta was born on February 18, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey. He was the youngest of six children born to Salvatore Travolta and Helen Cecilia Burke. He grew up in a family of entertainers and at 16, dropped out of high school to pursue an acting career in New York. He got… Read the full story

It’s Darwin Day! Each year on the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, the world of science highlights Darwin’s enormous contributions to the field. Image: Charles Darwin / Library of Congress Charles Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England in his family home, The Mount. He was born into a prominent English family, his father was a wealthy society doctor and financier and his grandfather was Erasmus Darwin, a renowned botanist. In 1831,… Read the full story

Today we remember inventor Thomas Edison, who was born on this day in 1847. Image: Thomas Edison / Library of Congress Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio and was the youngest of seven children born to Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr. and Nancy Matthews Elliot. His father was an exiled political activist from Canada who had participated in the Mackenzie Rebellion of 1837. Edison received little formal education growing up, but spent… Read the full story

“What one man can imagine, another will someday be able to achieve.” On this day in 1828, the “Father of Science Fiction” Jules Verne, was born in Nantes, France. Image: Jules Verne / Bibliothèque nationale de France The son of bourgeois parents, it was intended that Verne would follow in his father’s footsteps to become a lawyer. However, it was during his studies that Verne discovered his passion for literature and theater. He earned his… Read the full story

On this day in 1804, Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg was born. Considered the national poet of Finland, Runeberg wrote in the Swedish language and had a significant impact on Swedish literature. Image: Johan Ludvig Runeberg / The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, Flickr Runeberg was born on February 5, 1804 in what is now Pietarsaari, Finland to a Swedish-speaking family. He was the eldest of six children born to Lorenz Ulrik Runeberg and… Read the full story

On this day in 1913, civil rights icon Rosa Parks was born. Image: Rosa Parks / Library of Congress Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama to James McCauley, a carpenter, and Leona Edwards, a teacher. In 1932, she married Raymond Parks, a barber and active member of the NAACP. Parks would join the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP in 1943 and serve as the chapter secretary. On December… Read the full story

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the tragic plane crash that took the lives of rock musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. The day has become known as “The Day the Music Died,” popularized by a lyric in the song “American Pie.” Image: Buddy Holly / Wikimedia Commons Born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas, Buddy Holly learned to play a variety of instruments at a young age. He began performing with… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary actress Cicely Tyson, who passed away yesterday at the age of 96. An acting pioneer, Tyson’s trailblazing career spanned more than seven decades. Image: Cicely Tyson / Nationaal Archief Tyson was born on December 19, 1924 in Harlem, New York City, New York. Her parents, William Augustine Tyson and Fredricka Theodosia Huggins, were immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies. She first got her start in the 1950s when was discovered… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Cloris Leachman, who has passed away at the age of 94. A comedy legend, Leachman is perhaps best remembered as Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Image: Cloris Leachman / Wikimedia Commons Leachman was born on April 30, 1926 in Des Moines, Iowa to Berkeley Claiborne Leachman and Cloris Wallace. The eldest of three daughters, Leachman first entered the spotlight after competing in Miss America in 1946. After winning… Read the full story

On this day in 1756, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. Image: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Wikimedia Commons Mozart was the only surviving son of Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl. He and his older sister, Maria Anna, were the only two of seven children to survive past infancy. His father had been a composer, conductor, and teacher. The year of Mozart’s birth, his father published his famous violin textbook, which was very… Read the full story

On this day in 1925, actor Paul Newman was born. Image: Paul Newman / Wikimedia Commons Newman was born on January 26, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio to Arthur Sigmund Newman, Sr. and Theresa Fetzko. His father owned a sporting-goods store and was the son of Jewish emigrants from Hungary and Poland. His mother was born in what is today Humenné, Slovakia and was a homemaker with a love for the theater. As a child, Newman… Read the full story

On this day in 1901, Queen Victoria died at the age of 81. At the time of her death, the Queen had reigned for 63 years, 7 months and 2 days, making her the longest reigning British monarch. It wasn’t until 2015 that her second great granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, surpassed her record as the longest reigning monarch in British history. Image: Queen Victoria / Wikimedia Commons At the time of her birth on May 24, 1819,… Read the full story

On this day in 1793, Louis XVI was executed for treason by guillotine. Image: Louis XVI / New York Public Library Louis XVI was born on August 23, 1754 in the Palace of Versailles. He was the second son of Louis, the Dauphin of France, and thus the grandson of Louis XV. When his brother died at the age of nine, followed by the death of his father in 1765, a young Louis became the next… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Dolly Parton! Today the music icon turns 75. Image: Dolly Parton / Wikimedia Commons Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in a one-room cabin in Pittman Center, Tennessee. The fourth of twelve children, Parton has described her family as dirt poor. From a young age, she showed a passion for music and by the age of 10, she was performing professionally. As soon as she graduated from high school, Parton set… Read the full story

“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Today the U.S. celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., who was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. Image: Martin Luther King, Jr. / Library of Congress An icon of the American Civil Rights movement, King worked to end racial discrimination and inequality through non-violent protest and civil disobedience…. Read the full story

On this day in 1892, physical education teacher and inventor James Naismith published the rules of basketball for the first time. The sport is now played in over 200 countries around the world. James Naismith with the “first team” / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Naismith was born on November 6, 1861 in what is today Mississippi Mills, Ontario, Canada. An athlete himself, Naismith played football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, and gymnastics while at McGill… Read the full story

On this day in 1957, actor Humphrey Bogart died at the age of 57. Image: Humphrey Bogart / Wikimedia Commons Bogart was born on December 25, 1899 in New York City, New York to Belmont DeForest Bogart, a doctor, and Maud Humphrey, an illustrator and suffragist. Through his father’s branch, Bogart can trace his ancestry to the early Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam. He is a direct descendant of Sarah Rapelje, who is said to… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Elvis! 86 years ago today, Elvis Presley was born. Known as the King of Rock and Roll, Presley is remembered as one of the most successful and iconic musicians in history. Image: Elvis Presley / Wikimedia Commons Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi in a two-room shotgun house built by his father, Vernon Presley. Sadly, Presley’s identical twin brother was delivered stillborn 35 minutes before his birth. Presley grew up as… Read the full story

On this day in 1943, inventor Nikola Tesla died at the age of 86. He is remembered for his groundbreaking discoveries in the production, transmission, and application of electric power. Image: Nikola Tesla / Library of Congress Tesla was born on July 10, 1856 in the village of Smiljan in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (what is today Croatia). His father, Milutin Telsa, was an Eastern Orthodox priest, and his mother, Đuka Mandić, whose father was also an… Read the full story

On this day in 1838, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail gave the first successful public demonstration of their telegraph in front a small group of onlookers at the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey. Image: Samuel Morse / Library of Congress The telegraph transmitted electric pulses over wires, enabling people to send messages over vast distances. Morse and Vail also developed a code using pulses and pauses, which we now know as Morse code. After struggling… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Diane Keaton! Today the actress turns 75. Image: Diane Keaton / Firooz Zahedi, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Keaton was born January 5, 1946 in Los Angeles, California to Dorothy Keaton, a homemaker, and John Newton Ignatius Hall, a civil engineer. With an early interest in acting, Keaton moved to New York City to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. She took her mother’s maiden name “Keaton” to avoid… Read the full story

Today we remember physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton, who was born on January 4, 1643. Newton was a key figure of the 17th century Scientific Revolution and considered to be one of the greatest minds of the era. Image: Isaac Newton / Wikimedia Commons Newton was born prematurely at Woolstrhope Manor in Lincolnshire, England, just three months after the death of his father. A gifted student, Newton excelled in mathematics. Newton would go on to become… Read the full story

On this day in 1912, Lady Bird Johnson, former First Lady of the United States, was born in Karnack, Texas. Image: Lady Bird Johnson / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration She was born Claudia Alta Taylor on December 22, 1912 at “The Brick House,” an antebellum planation mansion on the outskirts of town. As a child, her family nurse commented that she was as “pretty as a ladybird,” and the nickname stuck. As First Lady,… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Jane Fonda! Today the actress turns 83. Image: Georges Biard / (CC BY-SA 3.0) Born into a Hollywood family, Jayne Seymour Fonda was the daughter of actor Henry Fonda and Canadian-born socialite Frances Ford Brokaw. When Fonda was 12, her mother committed suicide while under the care of a psychiatric hospital. Fonda followed in her father’s footsteps and pursued a career in acting. During the 1960s, she scored several hits and landed her… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Brad Pitt! Today the actor turns 57. Image: Brad Pitt / Department of Defense photo by Marvin Lynchard The actor and producer was born William Bradley Pitt on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He grew up in Springfield, Missouri and enrolled in the University of Missouri after high school. Just before earning his degree in journalism, Pitt decided to leave school and move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting…. Read the full story

On this day in 1903, the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, made history by making the world’s first sustained, man-powered, heavier-than-air flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Image: First flight of the Wright Flyer / Library of Congress The Wright brothers grew up in a close household that fostered their creativity. Fascinated with flying from an early age, the brothers sought to make human flight a reality. On December 17, 1903, the brothers took their… Read the full story

On December 16, 1775, English novelist Jane Austen was born in Steventon, England. Image: Jane Austen / Wikimedia Commons The seventh of eight children, Austen grew up in a large, close knit family. Jane’s parents, George and Cassandra Austen, were members of substantial gentry families. Growing up, Austen would write poems, stories, and plays for her family’s amusement. It wasn’t until Austen was in her thirties that she publish her first novels. From 1811-1816, Austen… Read the full story

On this day in 1799, George Washington died at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. He was 67 years old. Image: George Washington / Wikimedia Commons Washington is remembered as one of the most important figures in American history. Born in 1732 on his family’s estate in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Washington led the Continental Army to victory during the American Revolution and served as the nation’s first President. In 1797, Washington retired from the presidency, establishing… Read the full story

Pioneering astronomer Annie Jump Cannon was born on December 11, 1863 in Dover, Delaware. Nicknamed the “Census Taker of the Sky,” Cannon was instrumental in the development of the current system of stellar classification. Image: Annie Jump Cannon / Library of Congress Cannon was the eldest of three daughters born to Wilson Lee Cannon, a ship builder and Delaware state senator, and his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Jump. From a young age, Cannon had a… Read the full story

“That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.” – Emily Dickinson On this day in 1830, poet Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. Image: Emily Dickinson / Yale University Manuscripts & Archives Digital Images Database With deep ancestral roots in New England, Dickinson lived much of her life in her family’s homestead in Amherst. She was born to a prominent family with strong ties to the community. Her paternal grandfather,… Read the full story

Happy birthday to The Dude! Today actor Jeff Bridges celebrates his 71st birthday. Image: Jeff Bridges / Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0) Bridges was born on December 4, 1949 in Los Angeles, California to actors Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges. Born into a Hollywood family, the Academy Award winning actor made his big screen debut as a baby in the 1951 film, The Company She Keeps. Growing up, he and his older brother, Beau, made occasional appearances on their… Read the full story

On this day in 1857, author Joseph Conrad was born in Berdychiv, in what is now Ukraine. Conrad is often regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the English language, but did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties. Image: Joseph Conrad / New York Public Library Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, Conrad was the only child of Apollo Korzeniowski and Ewelina Bobrawska. His father was a poet, playwright and clandestine political activist. At the… Read the full story

On this day in 1914, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio was born. Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak record still stands today. Image: Joe DiMaggio / Library of Congress DiMaggio was born on November 25, 1914 in Martinez, California. He was the eighth of nine children born to Italian immigrant parents, Giuseppe DiMaggio and Rosalia Mercurio. His father worked as a fisherman and had hoped his sons would… Read the full story

Did you ever have a fear of Frankenstein’s monster? It may be thanks to actor Boris Karloff’s frightening yet sympathetic turn as the iconic horror figure. Image: Boris Karloff / Wikimedia Commons Karloff was born William Henry Pratt on November 23, 1887 in London, England to Edward John Pratt, Jr. and Eliza Sarah Millard. His maternal grandmother, Eliza Julia Edwards, was the sister of Anna Leonowens, whose life in the royal court of Siam formed… Read the full story

Do you have Swedish ancestry? On this day in 1858, Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf was born. In 1909, Lagerlöf became the first female writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Image: Selma Lagerlöf / Library of Congress Lagerlöf was born on November 20, 1858 in Mårbacka, her family’s estate, in Värmland, Sweden. She was the fifth of six children born to Erik Gustaf Lagerlöf, a lieutenant in the Royal Värmland Regiment, and Louise Wallroth…. Read the full story

On November 19, 1831, James Garfield was born in a log cabin in Orange Township, Ohio. Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States. Image: James Garfield / Library of Congress Garfield had come from very humble beginnings. His father, Abram Garfield, was a wrestler and died when Garfield was just 18 months old. He was raised by his mother, Eliza Ballou, who also continued to run the family’s small farm in Ohio. In… Read the full story