April 2021

On this day in 1662, Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was born. Mary was born on April 30, 1662 at St. James’s Palace in London. She was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York (the future King James II and VII) and his first wife, Anne Hyde. At the age of 15, she married her first cousin, William of Orange. Since her uncle, Charles II, had no legitimate heirs, Mary was… Read the full story

On this day in 1899, Jazz icon Duke Ellington was born. Considered one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, Ellington composed thousands of scores throughout his long career. Image: Duke Ellington / Library of Congress Ellington was born Edward Kennedy Ellington on April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. He was the son of James Edward Ellington and Daisy Kennedy, who were both pianists. He began learning the piano at the age of seven,… Read the full story

On this day in 1822, Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, was born. Image: Ulysses S. Grant / Library of Congress He was born Hiram Ulysses Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio to Jesse Root Grant, a tanner, and Hannah Simpson. Grant had deep roots in early America. His fifth great grandparents, Matthew and Priscilla Grant arrived at the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. His great grandfather, Noah Grant, served in the French… Read the full story

Today we remember beloved child star Shirley Temple on what would have been her 93rd birthday. Image: Eleanor Roosevelt and Shirley Temple / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928 in Santa Monica, California. She began her film career at the age of 3 with a role in Baby Burlesks, a series of short films satirizing recent film and political events, using pre-school children in every role. In 1934, she… Read the full story

It’s Earth Day! Earth Day is observed worldwide in 192 countries in appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment and to increase public awareness of environmental issues. In celebration of Earth Day, here’s a look at some notable environmentalists in Geni’s World Family Tree! Explore their family trees and see how you’re connected to these influential environmental figures! Rachel Carson Image: Smithsonian Institution, Flickr Rachel Carson was a marine biologists, conservationist, and author of Silent Spring…. Read the full story

Today Queen Elizabeth II turns 95. The longest-reigning monarch in British history, the Queen’s birthday comes just days after the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip. Image: Queen Elizabeth / Wikimedia Commons, NASA Born on April 21, 1926, Elizabeth is the eldest child born to Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI) and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. As the daughter of King George V’s second son, Elizabeth was not expected to become queen. However when… Read the full story

Have you visited the Lincoln Memorial? On this day in 1850, sculptor Daniel Chester French was born. Image: Daniel Chester French / Wikimedia Commons, Library of Congress French was the son of Anna Richardson and Henry Flagg French, a lawyer and the first president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts Amherst). In 1867, the French family moved to Concord, Massachusetts, where they became neighbors and friends of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson and… Read the full story

On this day in 1906, French physicist Pierre Curie died at the age of 46. Known for his groundbreaking work in radioactivity alongside his wife, renowned physicist Marie Curie, Curie is often regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern physics. Curie was born on May 15, 1859 in Paris, France to Eugene Curie and Sophie-Claire Depouilly. His father was a physician and taught Curie science and mathematics at an early age. In 1903, Pierre… Read the full story

On this day in 1889, Charlie Chaplin was born in London England. One of the biggest stars of the Silent Era, Chaplin is remembered as a pioneer and one the most important figures of the early film industry. Image: Charlie Chaplin / Library of Congress The early years of Chaplin’s life were fraught with hardship and poverty. His parents, Charles Chaplin, Sr. and Hannah Harriet Pedlingham Hill, were both music hall entertainers and separated shortly… Read the full story

On this day in 1452, Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, inventor Leonardo da Vinci was born. A true Renaissance man, da Vinci is remembered as not only a gifted artist but a brilliant intellect whose ideas were ahead of his time. Image: Leonardo da Vinci / Library of Congress Da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in a farmhouse outside of the village of Anchiano in Tuscany, Italy. He was born out of wedlock to… Read the full story

On this day in 1866, American educator Anne Sullivan was born in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts. Sullivan is best remembered as the teacher and life-long campion of Helen Keller. Image: Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan / Library of Congress Born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan, Sullivan was the child of Irish immigrants who came to the United States during the Great Famine. At the age of 8, she contracted trachoma, which eventually made her nearly blind. In 1880,… Read the full story

Happy National Scrabble Day! Scrabble Day is observed each year on the birthday of Scrabble inventor Alfred Mosher Butts, who was born on April 13, 1899 in Poughkeepsi, New York. During the Great Depression, Butts lost his job as an architect and struggled to support himself. He found some work writing for magazines and even tried his hand at art, but had little success. During this time, Butts decided to try developing a board game that… Read the full story

We’re sad to hear of the passing of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the age of 99. The longest-serving consort of a British monarch, Prince Philip was married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years. Image: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh / Nationaal Archief The Duke of Edinburg was born on June 10, 1921 on the Greek island of Corfu. He was the fifth child born to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and… Read the full story

Do you enjoy reading poetry? On this day in 1770, English Romantic poet William Wordsworth was born in the Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, England. Image: William Wordsworth / National Library of Wales Although orphaned by the age of 13, Wordsworth’s parents encouraged his education. He wrote his first pieces of poetry while in grammar school and went on to study at Cambridge. Before his final semester, he went on a walking tour of Europe. The… Read the full story

Does your family tree have an adventurous streak? On this day in 1909, explorers Matthew Henson and Robert Peary became the first men to reach the North Pole. Image: Matthew Henson / Library of Congress Matthew Henson was born on August 8, 1866 to freeborn black sharecroppers on a farm in Nanjemoy, Maryland. In 1887, Henson met Peary and was recruited to join Peary’s surveying expedition to Nicaragua. Soon Henson became Peary’s “first man” on… Read the full story

Today we remember Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on this day in 1805. Popular across the globe, Andersen’s fairytales have been translated into over 125 languages and have been adapted into numerous animated films, plays, and ballets. Image: Hans Christian Andersen / Bergen Public Library, Flickr Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark. Although his family was poor, Andersen received a boarding school education often reserved for the privileged…. Read the full story

On this day in 1932, actress Debbie Reynolds was born. Image: Debbie Reynolds / Wikimedia Commons She was born Mary Frances Reynolds on April 1, 1932 in El Paso, Texas. She was the second child of Maxine “Minnie” Harmon and Raymond Francis Reynolds, a carpenter for the Southern Pacific Railroad. A proud supporter of scouting, Reynolds was once a Girl Scout herself and a troop leader. After winning Miss Burbank at the age of 16,… Read the full story