March 2021

On this day in 1927, American labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez was born. Image: Cesar Chavez / Library of Congress He was born on March 31, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona and was named after his paternal grandfather, Cesario Chavez. During the Great Depression, his family lost their farm and moved to California to become migrant farmers. He would leave school after the 8th grade to work full time as a farm laborer…. Read the full story

Are you a baseball fan? On this day in 1867, legendary baseball player Cy Young was born. During his 22-season career, Young pitched for five different teams and established numerous pitching records, some of which he still holds today. Image: Cy Young / Wikimedia Commons He was born Denton True Young on March 29, 1867 in Gilmore, Ohio to McKinzie Young, Jr. and Nancy Miller. Growing up in a small farming community, Young stopped going to school after the… Read the full story

Have you tried Deep Nostalgia™, MyHeritage’s amazing new photo feature? Deep Nostalgia™ brings your old family photos to life by animating the faces on any photo. This incredible feature has brought many to tears by producing a realistic depiction of how a person may have smiled and moved if they were captured on video. The technology for animating photos was licensed from D-ID, which specializes in video reenactment using deep learning. MyHeritage has integrated this… Read the full story

Today we remember actor Leonard Nimoy on what would have been his 90th birthday. Image: Leonard Nimoy / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Nimoy was born on March 26, 1931 in Boston, Massachusetts to Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Izaislav, Ukraine. Coming from a Yiddish-speaking household, Nimoy learned Yiddish as his first language. He began acting in a neighborhood theater at the age of 8 and with the encouragement of his grandfather, decided to pursue a career as an actor…. Read the full story

Happy birthday to Elton John! Today the music legend turns 74. Image: Elton John / Nationaal Archief, CC0 He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, England to Stanley Dwight and Sheila Eileen Harris. Elton began playing the piano at the age of 3 and showed an amazing aptitude in music. In 1967, he changed his name to Elton Hercules John after Blues legends Elton Dean and Long John Baldry and… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Glenn Close! Today the versatile actress turns 74. Image: Glenn Close / Georges Biard (CC BY-SA 3.0) Close was born on March 19, 1947 in Greenwich, Connecticut to an upper class family with a long history in the United States. She is a descendant of the Taliaferro family, one of the earliest families to settle in Virginia in the 17th century. The surname is believed to trace back to Bartholomew Taliaferro, a native of Venice… Read the full story

Today we remember French writer Madame de La Fayette, whose novel, La Princesse de Clèves, is considered to be France’s first historical novel and one of the earliest novels in literature. Image: Madame de La Fayette La Fayette was born Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne in March 1634. According to baptism records, she was baptized on March 18, 1634 in the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, France. She was the eldest daughter of Marc Pioche,… Read the full story

Do you have Irish ancestry? With millions of Irish people who have emigrated abroad, it is estimated that 70-80 million people worldwide claim some Irish descent. If you are trying to learn more about your Irish ancestors, Irish genealogy projects on Geni are a fantastic way to collaborate and connect with others who are also researching their Irish roots. These genealogy projects are the perfect place to seek advice, meet others researching their Irish ancestors, and work together towards the common… Read the full story

Today singer and actress Liza Minnelli turns 75! A powerhouse on the stage and screen, Minnelli has won numerous awards across the entertainment industry, including an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Image: Liza Minnelli / Wikimedia Commons Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of film legend Judy Garland and director Vincent Minnelli, it seemed Minnelli was destined to become a star. She made her film… Read the full story

On this day in 1879, Chinese-Malaysian physician and epidemiologist Wu Lien-teh was born. A pioneer of the medical field, Wu invented the surgical face covering that is widely considered to be the precursor to the N95 mask we have all become familiar with today. Image: Wu Lien-teh / Library of Congress Wu was born on March 10, 1879 in Penang, one of the three towns of the Straits Settlements in what is today Malaysia. His… Read the full story

Today we remember Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on what would have been his 87th birthday. Gagarin made history in 1961 when he became the first person to fly into outer space. Image: Yuri Gagarin / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives, Flickr Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in the village of Klushino near Gzhatsk in Smolensk, Oblast, Russia. He was the third for four children born to Alexey Ivanovich Gagarin, a carpenter,… Read the full story

The month of March is known as Women’s History Month, which honors the past and present achievements of women throughout history. In honor of the Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting some remarkable and inspiring women in Geni’s World Family Tree. We also had some fun with MyHeritage’s Deep Nostalgia™ photo feature to help bring the images of these historic icons to life. 1. Clara Barton Clara Barton was a pioneering nurse and founder of the… Read the full story

Today we remember singer Karen Carpenter, who was born on this day in 1950. Along with her older brother Richard, Carpenter was part of the famous duo the Carpenters. Image: Karen Carpenter / Robert L. Knudsen, White House photo Carpenter was born on March 2, 1950 in New Haven, Connecticut to Agnes Reuwer Tatum and Harold Bertram Carpenter. Her older brother, Richard, developed an interest in music at an early age and was a gifted… Read the full story