February 2023

On this day in 1901, chemist and activist Linus Pauling was born in Portland, Oregon. Regarded as one of the most influential scientists in history, Pauling is often considered to be the founder of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. Image: Linus Pauling / Smithsonian Institution, Flickr The eldest child of Herman Henry Pauling and Lucy Darling, Pauling showed an interest in science at a young age. He contributed many discoveries across several scientific fields. The… Read the full story

Today we remember acting legend Elizabeth Taylor on what would have been her 91st birthday. Image: Elizabeth Taylor / Wikimedia Commons Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in London, England to American parents, Francis Lenn Taylor, an art dealer, and Sara Sothern, a retired actress. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the family returned to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, California. Soon after, Taylor began auditioning for films…. Read the full story

Today we remember pioneering NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who passed away on this day at the age of 101. Johnson broke racial and gender barriers by becoming one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist. Image: Katherine Johnson / NASA Johnson was born on August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia to Joshua Coleman, a handyman and farmer, and Joylette Roberta Lowe, a teacher. Johnson showed a gift… Read the full story

RootsTech 2023 is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited to see everyone in person once again. For those who can’t make it to the Salt Palace Convention Center between March 2-4 in Salt Lake City, Utah, you will also have the opportunity to attend the conference virtually for free from the comfort of your own home! That’s right – RootsTech will be both virtual and in-person. For the last two years,… Read the full story

On this day in 1868, civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Du Bois is often considered one of the most influential proponents of civil rights during the first half of the 20th century. Image: W.E.B. Du Bois / Library of Congress William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born on February 23, 1868 to Alfred Du Bois and Mary Silvina Burghardt. His mother’s family was a part of a small,… Read the full story

On this day in 1732, George Washington, the first President of the United States, was born. Image: George Washington / Wikimedia Commons Washington was born on February 22, 1732 on his family’s plantation, the Pope’s Creek Estate, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was the first son of Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Ball. His great grandfather, John Washington, emigrated to Virginia from England in 1656. A Founding Fathers of the United States, Washington led… Read the full story

On this day in 1933, singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Nina Simone was born. Image: Nina Simone / Wikimedia Commons, Nationaal Archief, CC0 Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina. She was the sixth of eight children born to John Divine Waymon and Mary Kate Irvin. Around the age of 3, she began playing the piano and was soon performing at her local church. She studied classical… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary actor Sidney Poitier on what would have been his 96th birthday. Image: Sidney Poitier / Wikimedia Commons Poitier was born on February 20, 1927 in Miami, Florida to Bahamian parents Evelyn Outen and Reginald James Poitier. He was born two months premature while his parents were vacationing in the U.S. Until the age of 10, Poitier lived on his family’s farm on Cat Island in the Bahamas. At the age of 15,… Read the full story

On this day in 1781, French doctor René Laennec was born in Quimper, France. Considered one of the greatest physicians in history, Laennec made many significant contributions to the world of medicine, most notably his invention of the stethoscope. Image: René Laennec / Wikimedia Commons As a boy, René Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec was sent to live with his uncle, Guillaume-François Laennec, after the death of his mother. His uncle was the dean of medicine at… Read the full story

Happy birthday to LeVar Burton! Today the actor turns 66. Image: LeVar Burton / Mike Muegel, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Burton was born Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. on February 16, 1957 in Landstuhl, West Germany. His mother, Erma Gene Christian, was a social worker and educator. His father, Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, was a photographer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was stationed at Landstuhl at the time of his birth. As… Read the full story

Today we celebrate suffragist and social reformer Susan B. Anthony, who was born on this day in 1820. Image: Susan B. Anthony / Library of Congress Anthony was born in Adams, Massachusetts to Daniel Anthony and Lucy Read. Her father was an abolitionist and an advocate of the temperance movement. She grew up in a politically active household, which instilled in her a strong passion for social reform. Anthony first met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851. They… Read the full story

It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. While reading through old newspapers, it’s fun to find announcements celebrating 50, 60, 70 year wedding anniversaries. Some offer secrets to their lasting relationship and pictures of the happy couple, while others contain an abundance of genealogical information as families came together to celebrate these long-lasting unions. This Valentine’s Day, we take a look at a few of them below: After 72 years of marriage, Joseph… Read the full story

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Today we remember abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery sometime around February 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, Douglass chose to celebrate his birthday on February 14. Image: Frederick Douglass / Library of Congress While he was young, the wife of his master, Sophia Auld, began teaching Douglass the alphabet, despite laws that prohibited teaching… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Laura Dern! Today the actress turns 56. Image: Laura Dern / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Dern was born on February 10, 1967 in Los Angeles, California to actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Her great grandfather, George Dern, served as the 6th Governor of Utah and later, as the United States Secretary of War. Born into a Hollywood family, it was no surprise that Dern would also follow in… Read the full story

On this day in 1773, William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States, was born at Berkeley plantation in Virginia. Image: William Henry Harrison / New York Public Library Born on February 9, 1773, Harrison was the last U.S. president to be born as a British subject before American Independence. He was the youngest son of Benjamin Harrison V and Elizabeth Bassett and his family were prominent political figures. His father was a… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Laura Ingalls Wilder! The beloved author was born on this day in 1867 in a long cabin in the Big Woods region of Wisconsin. Image: Laura Ingalls Wilder / Wikimedia Commons Wilder was the second of five children born to Charles Phillip Ingalls and Caroline Lake Quiner. Through her father, Wilder was a descendant of the Delano family, the same ancestral family of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who is her fifth cousin once removed…. Read the full story

On this day in 1756, Aaron Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey. Although he served as the third Vice President of the United States, Burr is perhaps best remembered for killing his political rival Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804. Image: Aaron Burr / New York Public Library Burr was the second child of Esther Edwards and the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr., who was the second president of the College of New Jersey (now known as… Read the full story

On this day in 1894, American illustrator Norman Rockwell was born in New York City, New York. Image: Norman Rockwell / Library of Congress Norman Perceval Rockwell was born on February 3, 1894 to Jarvis Waring Rockwell and Anne Mary “Nancy” Hill. Rockwell’s 7th great grandfather, John Rockwell, was one of the first settlers in Connecticut. For over four decades, Rockwell’s illustrations of everyday life in America graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post magazine. Although disliked… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Farrah Fawcett on what would have been her 76th birthday. Image: Farrah Fawcett / Wikimedia Commons She was born Ferrah Leni Fawcett on February 2, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was the second daughter born to Pauline Alice Evans and James William Fawcett, an oil field contractor. Fawcett first discovered her love for acting while in high school and in 1968, she decided to try her luck in Hollywood. She soon… Read the full story

On this day in 1902, poet and author Langston Hughes was born. A leader of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes was known as one of the earliest innovators of jazz poetry. His writings reflected the life and experiences of African Americans and addressed racial issues in society. Image: Langston Hughes / Library of Congress Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902. His parents separated shortly after his birth and he was primarily raised by his maternal grandmother until her death in 1915…. Read the full story