November 2019

Today we remember Bruce Lee on what would have been his 79th birthday! Image: Bruce Lee / Wikimedia Commons Born on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, California, Lee grew up in Hong Kong before moving back to the United Staes at the age of 18. His father was one of the leading Cantonese opera and film actors of the time. Like his father, Lee had a knack for performing and appeared in several films… Read the full story

On this day in 1832, abolitionist and surgeon Mary Edwards Walker was born. Walker was awarded the Medal of Honor for her efforts to treat the wounded during the American Civil War. Today, she remains the only woman to receive the honor. Image: Mary Edwards Walker / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Walker was born on November 26, 1832 in Oswego, New York to Alvah Walker and Vesta Whitcomb. From a young age, Walker’s… Read the full story

Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio was born on this day 105 years ago. Image: Joe DiMaggio / Library of Congress Joseph Paul DiMaggio was born on November 25, 1914 in Martinez, California. He was the eighth of nine children born to Sicilian immigrants Giuseppe DiMaggio and Rosalia Mercurio. His father had come from a long line of fisherman and had hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps. However, Joe’s talent in baseball set his path… Read the full story

This weekend the movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, hits theaters nationwide. The film stars Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, the host of the beloved children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The film was inspired by the 1998 article “Can You Say…Hero?” by Tom Junod for Esquire. The film follows journalist Lloyd Vogel, who is assigned to profile the television icon for Esquire magazine. Recently on the red carpet, Hanks learned of his own personal connection to Rogers – they are… Read the full story

On this day in 1694, French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire was born. Considered one of France’s greatest writers, Voltaire’s advocacy of civil liberties and social reform would go on to influence the thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions. Image: Voltaire / New York Public Library François-Marie Arouet was the youngest of five children born to François Arouet and Marie Marguerite Daumard. In 1718, he adopted the name “Voltaire,” which was an anagram of Arovet Li, the Latinized… Read the full story

On this day in 1889, astronomer Edwin Hubble was born in Marshfield, Missouri. Regarded as one of the most important astronomers in history, Hubble was the first to discover the existence of other galaxies in the universe beyond the Milky Way. Image: Edwin Hubble / The Huntington Library, Wikimedia Commons Hubble was born to Virginia Lee James and John Powell Hubble on November 20, 1889. Growing up, he was known for his athletic abilities and participated… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Jodie Foster! Today the actress turns 57. Image; Jodie Foster / Franz Richter, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 1.0) Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster on November 19, 1962 in Los Angeles, California. She was the youngest child born to Lucius Fisher Foster III and Evelyn Almond. Through her father’s branch of the family, Foster is a direct descendant of Mayflower passenger John Alden, who is her 9th great grandfather. Foster got her start… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Ed Asner! Today the actor turns 90. Image: Ed Asner / Department of Defense, William D. Moss Asner was born on November 15, 1929 in Kansas, City, Nebraska. He is one of five children born to Morris David Asner and Elizabeth Seliger and was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. After serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, Asner moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. In 1970, Asner landed the… Read the full story

Today we are excited to introduce the new Consistency Checker to Geni’s World Family Tree. The Consistency Checker will constantly monitor changes to profiles in the family tree to detect common errors or inconsistencies and bring them to your attention so that you can make the necessary changes to improve the quality and accuracy of the family tree. This helpful tool checks for 28 types of inconsistencies, ranging from obvious issues, such as a child… Read the full story

On this day in 1867, renowned physicist Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland. Thanks to her pioneering research on radioactivity, Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win twice in different fields, Physics and Chemistry. Image: Marie Curie / Library of Congress Curie was the fifth and youngest child born to Bronisława Boguska and Władyslaw Sklodowski, both teachers. Her paternal grandfather was also a well known teacher… Read the full story

In celebration of Family History Month, we ran a contest throughout the month of October for a chance for one lucky winner to receive a free year of Geni Pro. To enter, you simply needed to submit your answer to the question: If you could go back in time, which ancestor would you visit and why? We received lots of entries submitted through Facebook, Twitter, and email. One lucky winner was chosen at random from the list of entries…. Read the full story