August 2020

On this day in 1749, German writer, poet, and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born. He was born in Frankfurt, which was then an Imperial Free City of the Holy Roman Empire. Goethe’s father, Johann Caspar Goethe, was the son of a wealthy tailor and owner of one of the most distinguished guesthouses in Frankfurt. His mother, Katharina Elizabeth Textor, was the daughter of a prominent citizen of Frankfurt. Considered one of the greatest German… Read the full story

On this day in 1908, Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, was born in a small farmhouse in Stonewall, Texas. Image: Lyndon B. Johnson / Library of Congress Johnson was the eldest of five children born to Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. and Rebekah Baines. His father was a businessman and a politician who served five terms in the Texas House of Representatives. Before pursuing a career in politics, Johnson briefly worked… Read the full story

On this day in 1819, Prince Albert was born. The husband of Queen Victoria, the Prince was one of the Queen’s most trusted advisors. His death at the age of 42 profoundly impacted Victoria for the rest of her life. Image: Albert, Prince Consort / Library of Congress Prince Albert was born on August 26, 1819 at Schloss Rosenau in Bavaria. He was the second son of Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, and his first… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Sean Connery! Today the actor turns 90. Image: Sean Connery / Nationaal Archief Connery was born Thomas Sean Connery on August 25, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was named after his paternal grandfather and was called “Tommy” for much of his youth. He grew up in a working class family and at the age of 13, quit school to work full time at a local dairy. Then at the age of 16,… Read the full story

Have you found your connection to royalty? On this day in 1765, William IV was born. The third son of King George III and Queen Charlotte, William was never expected to be king. However, in 1830, he ascended to the throne after the death of his brother, George IV. William was born on August 21, 1765 at Buckingham Palace. At the age of 13, he began his career with the Royal Navy and served in New York… Read the full story

Have you visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri? On this day in 1910, architect Eero Saarinen was born. Image: Eero Saarinen / Library of Congress Saarinen was born on August 20, 1910 in Kirkkonummi, Finland on his father’s 37th birthday. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was a notable Finnish architect and his mother, Loja Gesellius, was a textile designer and sculptor. When Saarinen was 13, his family immigrated to the United States and settled… Read the full story

Are you a Star Trek fan? On this day in 1921, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was born in El Paso, Texas. Image: Gene Roddenberry / NASA As a young man, Roddenberry became interested in aeronautical engineering and earned a pilot license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. During World War II, Roddenberry enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and flew an estimated 89 combat missions. He was awarded the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross…. Read the full story

Today marks the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which stated “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” U.S. National Archives and Records Administration On August 18, 1920, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to ratify the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, finally granting women the right to vote. The… Read the full story

Are you related to American folk hero Davy Crockett? On this day in 1786, the famous frontiersman was born. Image: Davy Crockett / Library of Congress Crockett was born on August 17, 1786 to John M. Crockett and Rebecca Sullivan Crockett. He learned to shoot at the age of 8 and gained a reputation for hunting and story telling. In 1826, he was elected to Congress and served two terms before leaving politics to join the… Read the full story

MyHeritage has announced that they have unlocked their two popular photo tools – MyHeritage Photo Enhancer and MyHeritage In Color™ – for an entire month! From now until September 10, 2020, everyone can access these powerful photo tools for FREE! These two groundbreaking tools will bring new life to your old, faded, black and white family photos. Sharpen your blurry images with MyHeritage Photo Enhancer and bring them to life in vivid color with MyHeritage… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Steve Martin! Today the actor turns 75. Image: Steve Martin / David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Martin was born on August 14, 1945 in Waco, Texas to Mary Lee Stewart and Glenn Vernon Martin. When he was young, his family moved to southern California. As a teen, he became a cheerleader in high school and got his first job at Disneyland selling guidebooks and performing magic tricks. In 1977, Martin got his… Read the full story

On this day in 1899, legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was born. Image: Alfred Hitchcock / Library of Congress Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899 in London, England to William Edgar Hitchcock and Emma Jane Wheland. He was the youngest of three children. Before stepping into the director’s chair, Hitchcock got his start as a title card designer for silent films. In 1929, he directed his first “talkie,” Blackmail, which would become a huge success…. Read the full story

On this day in 1762, George IV of the United Kingdom was born. In 1820, he ascended throne after the death of his father, George III. Image: George IV of the United Kingdom / Rijksmuseum, Wikimedia Commons George was born at St. James’s Palace in London, England on August 12, 1762. He was the first child of King George III and his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They would have 15 children together, only 13 would… Read the full story

On this day in 1928, singer Eddie Fisher was born. One of the most popular singers of the 1950s, Fisher is also remembered for his part in one of Hollywood’s most famous marital scandals. Image: Eddie Fisher / Wikimedia Commons Fisher was born Edwin Jack Fisher on August 10, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Kate Minnicker and Joseph Tisch, both Jewish immigrants from Russia. The family’s surname was later changed to Fisher. The fourth of… Read the full story

In a recent interview with the U.K’s Capital FM, singer Katy Perry was in for a genealogical surprise when host Sian Welby shared that she and Taylor Swift are distant cousins. Although Perry dismissed it as a bit of fan fiction, it turns out they really are related! MyHeritage found through Geni’s World Family Tree that the two are in fact 9th cousins! Although the pandemic derailed her planned destination wedding with actor Orlando Bloom… Read the full story

On this day in 1813, American abolitionist and suffragist Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis was born. An early supporter of the women’s suffrage movement, Davis was also a prominent lecturer on women’s health, anatomy, and physiology. Image: Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis / Library of Congress Davis was born on August 7, 1813 in Bloomfield, New York to Ebenezer Kellogg and Polly Saxton. In 1817, her family moved to the frontier near Niagara Falls, however, after the… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Lucille Ball, who was born on this day 109 years ago. Image: Lucille Ball / Wikimedia Commons Lucille Désirée Ball was born on August 6 ,1911 in Jamestown, New York. After her father died of typhoid fever in 1915, the family moved in with her maternal grandparents. She and her brother were later cared for by their step-grandparents after her mother remarried. As a teen, Ball attended the John Murray Anderson School… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex! Today the Duchess turns 39. Image: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex / Northern Ireland Office, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) She was born Rachel Meghan Markle on August 4, 1981 in Los Angeles, California to Thomas Markle, a television lighting and photography director, and Doria Ragland, a former social worker and yoga instructor. Her parents divorced when she was 6 years old. After struggling to find steady work as… Read the full story