April 2019

Happy birthday to Gal Gadot! Today the Wonder Woman star turns 34. Gal Gadot / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Gadot was born on April 30, 1985 in Petah Tikva, Israel. At the age of 18, she was crowned Miss Israel and went on to compete in the Miss Universe 2004 pageant in Ecuador. Although she did not win, the experience helped launch her career as a model. After completing her two mandatory years of military… Read the full story

Today we remember Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi on what would have been his 145th birthday. A pioneer of wireless communication, Marconi is often credited as the father of long distance radio transmission. Guglielmo Marconi / Library of Congress Marconi as born on April 25, 1874 in Bologna, Italy to Giuseppe Marconi, a wealthy Italian landowner, and Annie Jameson, the granddaughter of John Jameson, the founder of the Jameson Irish Whisky Company. Growing up, Marconi was taught by… Read the full story

Geni’s World Family Tree currently connects over 130 million profiles from all over the world and enables people of all nationalities and cultures to work together to discover and preserve their shared ancestry. In order to better facilitate the collaboration between a multilingual community, we introduced the support of multilingual  profiles on Geni. This feature is perfect for when an individual is known by different names in multiple languages. Recently GeneaVlogger and Geni curator Jarrett Ross released a new video tutorial on how… Read the full story

On this day in 1451, Isabella I of Castile was born. Her marriage to Ferdinand II of Aragon brought stability to the kingdoms of the region and paved the way for the unification of Spain under their grandson, Charles V. Isabella I of Castile / Wikimedia Commons Isabella I was the daughter of John II of Castile and his second wife, Isabella of Portugal. At the time of her birth, her half-brother, Henry IV of… Read the full story

Are you planning for your next family reunion? The warm weather and breaks from school makes summer the perfect time to throw a family get-together. And before you know it, summer will be here so It’s important to get started early. With lots of planning and a little creativity, you can make it a reunion that your family will not soon forget. Check out these quick tips to help you get organized for your next family reunion. 1. Gather your team Family reunions… Read the full story

On this day in 1867, aviator Wilbur Wright was born. A pioneer in aviation, Wright and his brother Orville, are best remembered for developing the first successful airplane. Wilbur Wright / Library of Congress Wright was born on April 16, 1867 near Millville, Indiana to Milton Wright, a Bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, and Susan Koerner. The third of seven children, Wright and his brother developed a fascination for aviation at an early age… Read the full story

We’re back from NERGC 2019 in Manchester, New Hampshire. This was a great opportunity to meet Geni users and connect with new members who were eager to learn more about collaboration and the World Family Tree. The conference offered many workshops, sessions, and special events for genealogists and family history enthusiasts of all experience levels. The Geni booth before the start of the conference The exhibit hall was free and open to the public and everyone was encouraged… Read the full story

On this day in 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively bringing an end to the American Civil War. Lee served as Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s senior military adviser during the first year of the Civl War. Once he took command of the main field army, the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee led the Confederate forces to many early victories on the battlefield. However, his defeat at the Battle… Read the full story

Happy birthday Robert Downey, Jr.! Today the Iron Man star turns 54. He was born on April 4, 1965 in New York City, New York to Robert Downey Sr., an avant-garde filmmaker, and Elsie Ford, an actress. Downey made his screen debut at the age of 5 as a puppy in his father’s film, Pound. Although his career soared during the 1980’s and early 1990’s, his personal struggles with addiction became a constant focus of headlines. In… Read the full story

What’s your favorite fairy tale? On this day in 1805, Danish author Hans Christian Andersen was born. Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark to Hans Andersen, Sr. and Anne Marie Andersdatter. He first developed an interest in literature from his father, who would entertain him with stories from the Arabian Nights. At the age of 14, Andersen left school to pursue a career as an actor in Copenhagen. After being accepted to the Royal Danish Theater,… Read the full story