December 2017

On this day in 1694, Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, died at the age of 32. Her death came just five years after Mary and her husband, William III, jointly became king and queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution. Mary was born on April 30, 1662 and was the eldest daughter of King James II and VII and his first wife, Anne Hyde. Although her mother bore eight children, only Mary… Read the full story

As 2017 comes to a close, we’re taking some time to reflect on this past year on Geni. We celebrated an exciting milestone, introduced new enhancements, met genealogists all around the country, and heard some wonderful stories from our users. Here are our highlights: This year, Geni celebrated our 10th anniversary! Geni first launched in January 2007 with one goal in mind – to create a single family tree of the entire world. Today, Geni’s World Family Tree… Read the full story

On this day in 1972, President Harry S. Truman died at the age of 88. He and his wife Bess, who died in 1982, are buried at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri to John Anderson Truman and Martha Ellen Young. His middle name was a matter of debate between his parents. His father wanted to give him the middle name… Read the full story

Do you have any vintage holiday cards? It’s an old practice to send holiday cards to friends and loved ones during the holidays. They are also a great find for genealogists. Old postcards can often provide some important clues for your family history and can provide an intimate connection with your family’s past. They may even provide you with a new name or give you a clue as to how someone is related. With the holidays only a few days away, here’s a… Read the full story

What’s your favorite holiday movie? On this day in 1946, It’s a Wonderful Life premiered in New York City. The holiday classic starred James Stewart in his first film after taking a break from Hollywood to serve in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. The film was based on the short story, “The Greatest Gift,” written by Philip Van Doren Stern. Stern had self-published the story as a palm-sized booklet and printed about 200 copies to give to friends… Read the full story

On this day in 1732, Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack was published for the first time. The almanac was published annually for 25 years and became one of colonial America’s most popular publications. Remembered as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Franklin was also a successful inventor, printer, and writer. He used the pseudonym Richard Saunders to publish the popular almanac, which was composed of a calendar, weather forecasts, poems, proverbs, puzzles, astrological information, practical advice, and more. Most of the… Read the full story

When news of Prince Harry’s engagement to American actress Meghan Markle broke, we shared how the newly engaged couple were related through Geni’s World Family Tree. With excitement still in the air, we thought it would be fun to share a few more of Meghan’s surprising relatives. Recently, our parent company, MyHeritage, shared the news that Meghan was related to William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill through her English roots. This was possible thanks to Geni’s World Family Tree, which connects over 120… Read the full story

On this day in 1503, French astrologer Nostradamus was born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence, France. Nostradamus believed he could predict the future and documented his predictions in his book, The Prophecies. Since its initial publication, many people have believed that his predictions have come true or will come true in the future. Not much is known about the early years of Nostradamus’s life. He was born Michel de Nostradame and excelled in school where he studied medicine. He spent many… Read the full story

On this day in 1818, Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady of the United States and wife of Abraham Lincoln, was born in Lexington, Kentucky. She was the fourth of seven children born to Robert Smith Todd and Elizabeth Parker and came from a prominent slaveholding family in Kentucky. Her paternal grandfather, Levi Todd, and his two brothers, fought in the American Revolutionary War. Early Kentucky pioneers, Todd and his brothers founded Lexington after the war. In 1839,… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the 135th birthday of German physicist and mathematician Max Born, who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. In 1954, Born won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the field. Born was born on December 11, 1882 in Breslau in what was then a part of the German Empire (now Wroclaw, Poland). He was the son of Gustav Jacob Born, a prominent German histologist and medical author, and Margarethe… Read the full story

On this day in 1941, Imperial Japanese Naval Air forces attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, which left more than 1,100 people wounded and 2,403 people dead. The surprise military attack was a profound shock to the American people and immediately drew the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor under attack on December 7, 1941 / National Archives and Records Administration In his address to Congress the day following the attack, President Franklin D…. Read the full story

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” 62 years ago today, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her act of defiance would become one of the defining moments of the American Civil Rights movement. On December 1, 1955, Parks was riding home from a long day of work on a segregated bus. After the whites-only section was filled, the bus… Read the full story