July 2018

Happy birthday, J.K. Rowling! Today the Harry Potter author turns 53. The day also marks Harry Potter’s birthday! On July 31, 1965, Joanne Rowling was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England. She later adopted the pen name “J.K. Rowling,” incorporating her paternal grandmother’s name, Kathleen, for the second initial. From a young age, Rowling frequently wrote stories of fantasy. When she began writing the first Harry Potter book, Rowling was a single mother and struggling financially. However, her… Read the full story

While researching your family history, you may sometimes come across funny names in your family tree or maybe an amusing name will pop out in an old document. For fun, we took a look at some profiles in Geni’s World Family Tree and a few historical records to find some very amusing names that will be sure to give you a chuckle. Check them out below! 1. Here’s Pleasant Wear in the World Family Tree. 2. Wealthy Nutter can be found in the 1920 U.S…. Read the full story

On this day in 1920, pioneering scientist Rosalind Franklin was born. Although her work was not recognized during her lifetime, James Watson and Francis Crick’s discovery of the chemical structure of DNA would not have been possible without Franklin’s groundbreaking research. Franklin was born on July 25, 1920 in London, England to an influential Jewish family. Her great uncle, Herbert Samuel, was a prominent politician and served as Home Secretary in 1916. As child, Franklin had a… Read the full story

On this day in 1783, Venezuelan military leader and politician Simón Bolívar was born. Called “The Liberator,” Bolívar was instrumental in Latin America’s successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire. Bolívar was born into a wealthy family in a house in Caracas, Captaincy General of Venezuela on July 24, 1783. Before the age of ten, Bolivar had lost both of his parents. His father died when he was three and his mother passed away six years… Read the full story

Today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela, who is often considered one of the most inspirational and beloved leaders in history. In honor of this occasion, check out these 10 interesting facts about the former South African president and freedom fighter. Image: Library of Congress 1. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtata, South Africa. He was given the name Rolihlahla, a Xhosa… Read the full story

Do you have Norwegian ancestry? On this day in 1872, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was born in Borge, Østfold, Norway. Amundsen was born into a family of shipowners and captains and had a lifelong desire for polar exploration. One of the key figures of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, Amundsen was the first explorer to reach the South Pole. He gained invaluable knowledge for his journey in the Antarctic from his earlier expedition traversing the… Read the full story

Was anyone in your family tree a passenger on the RMS Titanic? On this day in 1864, Titanic passenger John Jacob Astor IV was born in Rhinebeck, New York. At the time of his death on the doomed luxury ship, Astor was considered one of the richest men in the world. Astor was born into the prominent Astor family. His great grandfather, John Jacob Astor, was a German immigrant and made his fortune by building a fur trading… Read the full story

Do you remember reading Charlotte’s Web? On this day in 1899, author E.B. White was born in Mount Vernon, New York. The youngest child of Samuel Tilly White and Jessie Hart White, Elwyn Brooks White was the couple’s sixth child. He hated the name “Elwyn,” spent most of his life going by the nickname “Andy.” His older brother, Stanley Hart White, was a professor of Landscape Architecture and inventor of the Vertical Garden. He was a very… Read the full story

On July 6, 1921, former First Lady Nancy Reagan was born. She was the wife of Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, and spent her years at the White House as an advocate for decreasing drug and alcohol abuse. Although known as “Nancy” throughout her life, she was born Anne Frances Robbins in Manhattan, New York to Kenneth Seymour Robbins, a farmer and car salesman, and Edith Prescott Luckett, a film and… Read the full story

On this day in 1883, author Franz Kafka was born in Prague in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The eldest of six children, Kafka grew up in a middle-class, German-speaking, Jewish family. His two younger brothers died in infancy, leaving him as the only son in the family. Though Kafka died several years before World War II, his three sisters would go on to perish during the Holocaust. Kafka showed an interest in writing at an early age, however, his work attracted little… Read the full story

On this day in 1698, English inventor and engineer Thomas Savery received the patent for the first steam engine. His invention would lead to the first commercially used steam powered engine. Savery was born to a prominent family in England in 1650. Known to have an interest in engineering, mathematics, and invention, Savery became a military engineer and invented various types of devices. In 1698, he patented an early steam engine that provided a new method for pumping water… Read the full story