September 2014

Do you remember watching Cheers? On this day 32 years ago, the hit sitcom starring Ted Danson premiered on television. Set in a Boston bar “where everybody knows your name,” the show focused on a group of locals who met to drink, relax and socialize. In his breakthrough role, Danson played former baseball player and bartender Sam Malone. He would receive 11 consecutive Emmy nominations, winning the coveted statue twice for his comedic performance. Did you know the… Read the full story

Here’s a roundup of family history articles from the past week! Image: Day out at the gallows and other bygone photographic oddities / BBC News The Genealogy Sphere Day out at the gallows and other bygone photographic oddities (BBC News) – A glimpse into the funny side of the people from the Victorian era Why Was Robert Webster, a slave, Wearing What Looks Like a Confederate Uniform? (Smithsonian.com) – The remarkable story of a man who… Read the full story

Happy birthday to T.S. Eliot! On this day in 1888, Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri to an old Yankee family. His grandfather, William Greenleaf Eliot, was most notable for founding Washington University in St. Louis. In 1914, Eliot emigrated to England at the age of 25. It was around this time that he began a lifelong friendship with poet Ezra Pound. He was naturalized as a British subject in 1927. Eliot published… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Mark Hamill! Today the Star Wars star turns 63. Hamill was born on September 25, 1951 in Oakland, California to Virginia and William Thomas Hamill. He made small appearances on television before catapulting to stardom as the star of George Lucas’s film Star Wars. The 1977 film was an instant hit both domestically and internationally and marked the beginning of one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood history. Hamill has also gone on… Read the full story

Seventy-five years ago today, famed neurologist Sigmund Freud died at the age of 83 from a lethal dose of morphine. Known as the father of psychoanalysis, Freud’s radical and controversial theories about the mind transformed the field of psychology. Freud was born on May 6, 1856 in Freiberg, Austria. At the age of four, his family moved to Vienna, where he would live and work for the remainder of his life. In 1881, he earned… Read the full story

Geni’s World Family Tree, now almost 80 million profiles strong, enables people of all nationalities and cultures to work together to discover their shared ancestry. One of the greatest challenges of creating a single family tree of the world is accommodating the many languages spoken by our international community. Today we’re excited to announce that Geni’s World Family Tree now supports multilingual profiles. This means you can enter names and biographies in multiple languages, and… Read the full story

On September 22, 1515, Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, was born in Düsseldorf. The match between Anne and the King was urged by his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. However, shortly after meeting Anne, Henry had misgivings about going through with the marriage, stating that he believed he was mislead about her appearance. He urged Cromwell to find a legal way to avoid the marriage, but doing so was impossible without endangering the vital… Read the full story

Enjoy this week’s roundup of articles from around the web! Image: 30 Discoveries About Family History in Spanish Surnames / Mental_Floss The Genealogical Sphere President Obama is Sen. Ted Cruz’s cousin! Really! (CNN) – CNN’s Kelly Wallace chats with AJ Jacobs about the upcoming Global Family Reunion. Watch as AJ shows how everyone’s related using Geni 30 Discoveries About Family History in Spanish Surnames (Mental_Floss) – Have Spanish surnames in your family tree? Check out what… Read the full story

Remember watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show? On this day 44 years ago, the groundbreaking sitcom starring Mary Tyler Moore premiered on television. The show marked the first time a single, never-married, independent career woman was the central character on TV. The show was an instant hit with audiences and critics. Moore would win 3 Emmy Awards for her performance. Today, the show is remembered as one of the most critically acclaimed programs ever produced. Were you a fan… Read the full story

One of the most exciting parts of researching your family history is getting the opportunity to share it with others. And part of the fun is coming up with unique and clever ideas to display your family tree, whether it’s a mural on the wall of your home or a shadowbox showcasing your family history. Here are few creative ways to display your family tree: Family Tree Cutout This is a really beautiful family tree showcasing family… Read the full story

Are you a fan of The Sopranos? Today we remember actor James Gandolfini, who was born on September 18, 1961. He was born to Italian parents Santa Penna, a high school lunch lady, and James Joseph Gandolfini, Sr., a bricklayer and cement mason. Due to the influence of his parents, he developed a strong sense of Italian American identity and visited Italy regularly. He skyrocketed to fame when he took on the role of Tony Soprano on the hit… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Three’s Company? On September 17, 1948, star John Ritter was born in Burbank, California. He was the son of actress Dorothy Fay and Tex Ritter, a singing cowboy/western star. Although he grew up surrounded by show business, Ritter did not intend to follow in his parents’ footsteps. However, after being persuaded to join a drama class, he changed his college major from psychology to theater arts. He got his big break as… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Columbo? On September 16, 1927, star Peter Falk was born in New York City, New York. A versatile actor, Falk found success on both the small and big screen. He was nominated twice for an Academy Award and won five Emmy Awards, four of which were for his most memorable character, Lt. Columbo. Did you know at the age of 3, Falk had a tumor in his right eye and had to have… Read the full story

What great genealogy breakthroughs did you make this weekend? Let’s kickstart the new week with these articles from around the web! Image: World War One submarine ‘found’ by Australian navy / The Telegraph The Genealogy Sphere Identity of notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper finally revealed (London Evening Standard) – Does recent DNA evidence really reveal the identity of Jack the Ripper? Sisters in Photos (FamilyTree Magazine blog) – Photo detective Maureen Taylor compares the… Read the full story

Last week, MyHeritage founder and CEO Gilad Japhet gave a very inspirational interview with Israel’s leading primetime news program. In the video, subtitled in English, Gilad discusses some of MyHeritage’s wonderful pro bono projects. For those unfamiliar, these projects include discovering heirs for unclaimed assets confiscated in WWII, returning looted art to its rightful owners and our global crowdsourcing project with BillionGraves to digitally preserve the world’s cemeteries. The story is truly amazing and heart-warming and we wanted to share it… Read the full story

On September 12, 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson began his exploration of what is today the Hudson River while aboard the Halve Maen. Under the employment of the Dutch East India Company, Hudson explored the region to find a shorter route to Asia. His journey up the river not only opened up North America for further exploration, but also established Dutch claims to the region and to the fur trade that prospered there after a trading… Read the full story

Do you have Swedish connections? On this day in 1850, legendary opera singer Jenny Lind gave her first concert in the United States at the Castle Garden in New York. Known as the “Swedish Nightingale,” Lind was one of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century. A sensation across Europe, Lind was persuaded by showman P.T. Barnum to undertake a long tour across the U.S. Barnum’s advance publicity made her a celebrity before she arrived in… Read the full story

Do you have royal ancestors in your family tree? You may be familiar with some of the epithets that follow their names. An epithet is an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. Many figures throughout history are remembered and referred to by their epithets, long after they are deceased. A familiar one from history may be Richard the Lionheart, who earned his nickname because of his reputation… Read the full story

Remember watching the show Gunsmoke? On this day in 1955, the popular Western show premiered on television. Taking over the starring role in the TV adaption was actor James Arness, who would portray Marshal Matt Dillon for the next 20 years. Arness got the role on the recommendation of John Wayne, who introduced him in the prologue of the first episode. With Norwegian and German ancestry, the naturally blond actor had to die his hair darker for the… Read the full story

Have a great weekend? Kickstart your week with these articles from around the web. Image: 1900: “Visions of 2000” / Retronaut The Genealogy Sphere 1900: “Visions of 2000” (Retronaut) – See how people of the 1900s envisioned the future How a mysterious box of photos sent an Evanston couple halfway around the world (Chicago Reader) – For a quarter century, this couple have been trying to figure out the identity of the photographer responsible for a… Read the full story

Today we remember pioneering comedian Joan Rivers, who died September 4 at the age of 81. Never one to shy away from speaking her mind, no subject was off limits to the always self-depreciating and sharply-tongued comic. She was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn, New York to Russian Jewish immigrants Beatrice Grushman and Meyer C. Molinsky. During the 1950s, Rivers began doing stand-up routines in nightclubs. Her career took off after her appearance on the The… Read the full story

Do you remember the days when cameras used film rolls? Today most of us take photos digitally, either with our phones, tablets or a digital camera and it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t always so easy to snap a picture. Nearly fifty years after the world was first introduced to the daguerrotype, American inventor and entrepreneur George Eastman sought to find a way to make photography less cumbersome and easier for the average person… Read the full story

Today we remember Steve Irwin, who passed away on this day in 2006 at the age of 44. Known as “The Crocodile Hunter,” Irwin spent much of his life devoted to wildlife conservation and environmentalism. He was born on February 22, 1962 in Victoria, Australia and grew up on a wildlife park owned by his parents. At the age of nine, he began handling crocodiles. Did you know Irwin and his wife Terri spent their honeymoon… Read the full story

Are you a fan of NCIS? Today star Mark Harmon celebrates his 63rd birthday! He was born Thomas Mark Harmon on September 2, 1951 in Burbank, California. His parents were Heisman Trophy winner and broadcaster Tom Harmon and artist Elyse Knox. A gifted athlete, he was the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team in college. Forgoing a career as a professional athlete after college, he decided to pursue a career as an actor. Throughout… Read the full story

Who are you researching this Labor Day weekend? Take a break with these articles from around the web! Image: 100 Year Old Life Hacks that Still Work Today / Guff.com The Genealogy Sphere Tuesday’s Tip – Records from Mental Hospitals (Your Swedish Heritage blog) – A great tip to check mental hospital records in your research The Well-Dressed Couple Again and Solving a Group Photo Mystery (Family Tree Magazine blog) – Photo detective Maureen Taylor figures… Read the full story