April 2023

On this day in 1758, James Monroe was born in his family home in Westmoreland County, Virginia. A Founding Father, Monroe served as the 5th President of the United States. Image: James Monroe / Wikimedia Commons During the American Revolution, Monroe left college to join the Continental Army. He served as part of General George Washington’s army at the Battle of Trenton, where he was severely wounded. As president, Monroe oversaw major westward expansion of the U.S…. Read the full story

On this day in 1927, American civil rights activist Coretta Scott King was born in Marion, Alabama. Image: Coretta Scott King / Library of Congress The widow of Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., King also made significant contributions to the Civil Rights movement both before and after her husband’s death. She was the third child born to Obadiah Scott and Bernice McMurray. Her father was the first black person in their neighborhood to… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Carol Burnett! Today the funny actress turns 90. Known for her legendary comedic chops, Burnett became a household name as the star of The Carol Burnett Show. The show ran for 11 seasons and marked the first time a TV variety show was hosted by a woman. Image: Carol Burnett / Wikimedia Commons Burnett was born in San Antonio, Texas on April 26, 1933 to Joseph Burnett, a movie theater manager, and Ina… Read the full story

Love listening to the sound of Jazz? On this day in 1917, Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia. Image: Ella Fitzgerald / Library of Congress From her earliest days as a small child, the Queen of Jazz was passionate about music and spent hours listening to Jazz records her mother brought home. After the death of her mother when she was 15, Ella was sent to live with her aunt in Harlem. She suffered… Read the full story

On April 24, 1942, legendary singer and actress Barbra Streisand was born in Brooklyn, New York. Image: Barbra Streisand / National Institutes of Health Over her long career, Streisand has sold over 150 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. She has amassed a great number of music and acting awards, including 2 Academy Awards and 10 Grammys. She is also one of the few entertainers who can… Read the full story

On this day in 1816, author Charlotte Brontë was born. Image: Charlotte Brontë / Wikimedia Commons Brontë was born on April 21, 1816 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. She was the third of six children born to Maria Branwell and Patrick Brontë, a clergyman. After her mother and two older sisters died, her father educated Brontë and her siblings, Emily, Anne, and Branwell, at home. As children the siblings were left to explore their imagination. They… Read the full story

Do you have French ancestry in your family tree? On this day in 1808, Napoleon III was born in Paris, France. Image: Napoleon III / Library of Congress The nephew and heir of Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon III grew up in exile. Determined to return to France and regain the French crown, Napoleon began asserting his views in political writings and even attempted a failed coup. Following the Revolution of 1848, Napoleon seized the opportunity to return to France… Read the full story

Today we remember French physicist Pierre Curie, who died on April 19, 1906 at the age of 46. Considered one of the founding fathers of modern physics, Curie is best known for his groundbreaking work in radioactive studies alongside his wife, Marie Curie.  Image: Pierre Curie / Wikimedia Commons Curie was born on May 15, 1859 to Eugène Curie and Sophie-Claire Depouilly. His father was a doctor and trained Curie in math and science. From a young age,… Read the full story

On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere began his infamous ride to warn American colonists that British forces were advancing toward Lexington and Concord. Image: Paul Revere’s ride / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Revere and fellow rider William Dawes successfully reached Lexington to warn Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock before setting out towards Concord. Along the way, they were joined by Samuel Prescott, a young patriot. Of the three men,… Read the full story

Today we remember Benjamin Franklin, who died on April 17, 1790 at the age of 84. Not only was Franklin one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, but he was also a leading author, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and more. Image: Benjamin Franklin / Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery CC0 Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts to Josiah Franklin, a candlemaker, and his second wife, Abiah Folger. He was one… Read the full story

On this day in 1866, American educator Anne Sullivan was born. Best remembered as the teacher and lifelong companion of Helen Keller, Sullivan taught Keller, who was blind and deaf, to communicate and read Braille. Image: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan / Library of Congress Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts to Thomas Sullivan and Alice Cloesy. Her parents had emigrated to the United States from Ireland during the Great… Read the full story

On this day in 1743, Thomas Jefferson was born at the Shadwell plantation in colonial Virginia. One of America’s Founding Fathers, Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and served as the third President of the United States. Image: Thomas Jefferson / Wikimedia Commons Jefferson was born to a prominent Virginia family. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a planter and surveyor. In 1751, he created the Fry-Jefferson Map in collaboration with Joshua Fry, which accurately depicted… Read the full story

Today we remember children’s book author Beverly Cleary on what would have been her 107th birthday. Image: Beverly Cleary / Washington State Archives, Wikimedia Commons Cleary was born Beverly Atlee Bunn on April 12, 1916 in McMinniville, Oregon to Chester Lloyd Bunn, a farmer, and Mabel Atlee, a schoolteacher. A passionate reader, Cleary studied to become a children’s librarian. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley and a second bachelor’s… Read the full story

Today we remember actor James Garner on what would have been his 95th birthday. Image: James Garner / Wikimedia Commons Garner was born James Scott Bumgarner on April 7, 1928 in Norman, Oklahoma to Weldon Warren Bumgarner and Mildred Scott Meek. The youngest of 3 sons, Garner had a difficult childhood. When he was 4, his mother died and by the time he was 7, his father had left him and his brothers to be… Read the full story

On this day in 1909, explorer Robert Edwin Peary and his assistant, Matthew Henson, reached what they determined to be the North Pole. Image: Robert Edwin Peary / Library of Congress Peary was born on May 6, 1856 in Cresson, Pennsylvania to Charles Nutter Peary and Mary Dole Wiley. He joined the U.S. Navy Civil Engineers Corps before beginning his career as an explorer. Determined to become the first person to reach the North Pole,… Read the full story

On this day in 1856, Booker T. Washington was born. Regarded as one of the most influential African-American educators of the late 19th century, Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute, known today as Tuskegee University, in Alabama. Image: Booker T. Washington / Library of Congress Washington was born into slavery in Virginia and was the son of Jane, a slave, and an unknown white man. He was named Booker Taliaferro and later adopted the surname Washington. After emancipation,… Read the full story

When you collaborate in a shared world tree, it is important to be able to see the history of changes in the family tree. Geni profiles show a robust revision history of a profile, so you know what was changed and by whom. This is especially important if you notice a change that was not correct. Geni’s revision histories make it easy to revert the change, so you can make sure the information in the… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Doris Day on what would have been her 101st birthday. Image: Doris Day / Library of Congress Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Alma Sophia Weiz and William Joseph Kappelhoff. For most of her life, Day believed she was born in 1924. It was not until her 95th birthday that she learned she was actually born in 1922 after the Associated Press… Read the full story