February 2022

RootsTech 2022 is coming up fast! In just one week, the world’s largest genealogy conference will be here once again. Last year, the conference was completely virtual for the first time and was more accessible than ever, with over 1 million attendees from around the world. This year RootsTech will once again be 100% virtual and 100% free! The conference will take place March 3-5, 2022 and will feature live and pre-recorded events, inspiring keynote… Read the full story

Today we remember actor Don Knotts, who passed away on this day in 2006. Knotts was perhaps best known for his memorable portrayal of Deputy Barney Fife on the hit sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, which earned him five Emmy Awards. Image: Don Knotts / State Library and Archives of Florida Jesse Donald Knotts was born in Morgantown, West Virginia on July 21, 1924. After graduating from high school, Knotts joined the U.S. Army and spent most of… Read the full story

On this day in 1923, archaeologist Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. The tomb of the boy king is considered to be one of the best preserved and most intact pharaonic tombs ever found in the Valley of the Kings. Image: Howard Carter beside the coffin of King Tutankhamen / Library of Congress Carter had spent many years excavating in the Valley of the Kings in search of the undiscovered tomb of the… Read the full story

On this day in 1820, suffragist Susan B. Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts. Image: Susan B. Anthony / Library of Congress Born into a Quaker family, Anthony grew up in a politically active household. Her family was active in the anti-slavery movement, and by the age of 17, Anthony was already collecting anti-slavery petitions. Encouraged to pursue her education, Anthony became a teacher while continuing to fight for social reforms that would bring equality to all. In 1851, Anthony… Read the full story

Today we remember acting legend Burt Reynolds on what would have been his 86th birthday. Image: Burt Reynolds / Alan Light, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Reynolds was born on February 11, 1936 in Lansing, Michigan to Harrietta Fernette Miller and Burton Milo Reynolds. His father served in the U.S. army during World War II and landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Early in his career, Reynolds landed several guest starring roles on… Read the full story

Today we remember author Jules Verne, who was born on this day in 1828. Image: Jules Verne / Bibliothèque nationale de France, Wikimedia Commons Verne was born on February 8, 1828 in Nantes, France to Pierre Verne, a lawyer, and Sophie Allote de la Fuye. Although he was expected to follow his father’s footsteps into law, Verne developed a strong passion for literature and theater. He frequented Paris’s famous literary salons, where he befriended French writer Alexandre Dumas and… Read the full story

Today we remember civil rights icon Rosa Parks, who was born on this day in 1913. Image: Rosa Parks / Library of Congress Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama to Leona Edwards, a teacher, and James McCauley, a carpenter. After her parents separated, Parks and her family moved to Pine Level, Alabama to live with her maternal grandparents. At 19, she married Raymond Parks, a barber and member… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Charlie’s Angels? On this day in 1947, star Farrah Fawcett was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. Image: Farrah Fawcett / Wikimedia Commons She was the youngest of two daughters born to Pauline Alice Fawcett and James William Fawcett. Upon arriving to Hollywood in 1968, Fawcett appeared in commercials and made numerous guest spots on television. In 1976, she made her debut as policewoman Jill Monroe on the TV series Charlie’s Angels. However, it… Read the full story

Poet and author Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. A leader of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City, Hughes’s writing depicted the life, experiences, and culture of African Americans in the U.S and addressed the racial issues in society. Image: Langston Hughes / Library of Congress Hughes was the son of James Nathaniel Hughes and Caroline Mercer Langston. His parents separated shortly after he was born and he was… Read the full story