August 2021

Have you found your connection to Dutch royalty? On this day in 1880, Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was born. Image: Wilhelmina of the Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria was born on August 31, 1880 at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. The only surviving child of King Willem III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Wilhelmina became queen at the age of 10 after her father’s death in 1890…. Read the full story

Today we remember Ed Asner, who passed away yesterday at the age of 91. Image: Ed Asner / Department of Defense, William D Moss Asner was born on November 15, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri to Morris David Asner and Elizabeth Seliger. the youngest of five children, Asner was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. After high school, he was accepted at the University of Chicago and studied journalism before dropping out. He worked a… Read the full story

On August 24, 1899, Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges was born. Explore his family tree on Geni.

Today marks the 235th birthday of American folk hero Davy Crockett. Image: Davy Crockett / Library of Congress David “Davy” Crockett was born on August 17, 1786 in what is present day Tennessee. During the Creek War, Crockett joined the state militia as a scout and spent much of his time hunting wild game for the soldiers. He later served as third sergeant in the War of 1812, but saw little action. After returning home, he served… Read the full story

On this day in 2018, legendary singer Aretha Franklin died at the age of 76. Image: Aretha Franklin / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Franklin was born on March 25, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee to C.L. Franklin, a Baptist minister, and Barbara Siggers, an accomplished pianist and vocalist. Franklin’s musical talent was apparent at an early age and she was encouraged to sing in front of her father’s congregation. By 14, she was traveling… Read the full story

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic games has seen a number of exciting, history making performances this year. On August 3, Norwegian hurdler Karsten Warholm not only won gold in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, but also set a new world record! Image: Karsten Warholm / Yann Caradec, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) In what has been called one of the greatest races in Olympics history, Warholm won at 45.94 seconds, crushing his own world record by .76…. Read the full story