June 2023

Today we remember actor Alan Arkin, who passed away yesterday at the age of 89. Image: Alan Arkin / Gordon Correll, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Arkin was born on March 26, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York to David Arkin, a painter and writer, and Beatrice Wortis, a teacher. Since he was a child, Arkin knew he wanted to be a performer. He began taking acting classes at the age of 10 and after dropping… Read the full story

On this day in 1861, English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning died at the age of 55. Remembered as one of the most popular poets of the Victorian Era, Elizabeth was very well known during her lifetime in Europe and America. Image: Elizabeth Barrett Browning / Library of Congress The eldest of twelve children, Elizabeth Barrett Moulton-Barrett was born on March 6, 1806 in Coxhoe Hall in County Durham, England. Her father’s family had acquired their wealth in… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Kathy Bates! Today the star turns 75. Image: Kathy Bates / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) She was born Kathleen Doyle Bates on June 28, 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee. She is the youngest of three daughters born to Langdon Doyle Bates and Bertye Kathleen Talbert. Her paternal grandfather, Finis L. Bates, was a lawyer and the author of The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth. In the book, he… Read the full story

On June 27, 1880, Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Image: Helen Keller / Library of Congress At just 18 months old, Keller contracted an illness that left her blind and deaf. During the early years of her childhood, Keller had very limited methods of communication and became very unruly. Her mother hired Anne Sullivan to help teach Keller. Sullivan began to teach Keller words by drawing the letters into her hands. After a… Read the full story

How are you related to royalty? On this day in 1830, George IV died at the age of 67. Image: George IV / Wikimedia Commons, Rijksmuseum Born on August 12, 1762, George was the eldest son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. In 1810, he became regent as his father’s health and mental stability deteriorated. He ascended to the throne in 1820 after his father’s death. Known for his extravagant, indulgent lifestyle and heavy drinking, George… Read the full story

Today we remember British mathematician Alan Turing, who was born on this day in 1912. Considered the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Turing is remembered as one of the most influential minds of the 20th century. Image: Alan Turing / Wikimedia Commons Turing was born on June 23, 1912 in London, England to Julius Mathison Turing, and Ethel Sara Stoney. From a young age, Turing was a natural at mathematics. During World War… Read the full story

On June 21, 1982, William, Prince of Wales, was born. Image: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge / USAID,Vietnam William was born in St. Mary’s Hospital in London during the reign of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. He is the eldest child of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales and the heir apparent to the British throne. Sadly, at the age of 15, William lost his mother in a horrific car crash in Paris,… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Lionel Richie! Today the singer and songwriter turns 74. Image: Lionel Richie / U.S. State Department Photo, Public Domain He was born Lionel Brockman Richie on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama. He grew up at the Tuskegee Institute, where two generations of his family worked. After first gaining popularity as one of the founding members of the Commodores, Richie branched out on his own and established a highly successful solo career…. Read the full story

Today we remember baseball legend Lou Gehrig, who was born on this day in 1903. Considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Gehrig was nicknamed “the Iron Horse” for his durability. He set the record for most consecutive games played and led his team to six World Series titles. Image: Lou Gehrig / Library of Congress He was born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig in Manhattan, New York to German immigrant parents. From an early age, Gehrig… Read the full story

On this day in 1902, American scientist Barbara McClintock was born. In 1983, McClintock was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of genetic transposition. Image: Barbara McClintock / Smithsonian Institution Archives, Flickr McClintock was born on June 16, 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut to Thomas Henry McClintock, a physician, and Sara Handy. From a young age, McClintock had a passion for science. While studying at Cornell, she developed an interest in… Read the full story

Today we remember Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, who was born on this day in 1843. Considered one of the leading Norwegian composers of the Romantic Era, Grieg successfully brought the music of Norway to international audiences. Image: Edvard Grieg / Bergen Public Library Norway, Flickr Grieg was born on June 15, 1843 in Bergen, Norway to Alexander Greig, a merchant and vice-consul in Bergen, and Gesine Judithe Hagerup, a music teacher. Grieg grew up in a… Read the full story

Remember reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin? On this day in 1811, abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. Image: Harriet Beecher Stowe / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Stowe was the seventh of thirteen children born to Lyman Beecher, a Calvinist preacher, and Roxana Foote, who died when Stowe as just five years old. Her great grandfather, Andrew Ward V, was a general in the American Revolutionary War. Growing up, Stowe received… Read the full story

Image: William Butler Yeats / Library of Congress Have you read the poems by William Butler Yeats? On June 13, 1865, the Irish poet was born in Dublin, Ireland to John and Susan Yeats. Considered one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature, Yeats writings were a  driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival. In 1923, he became the first Irishman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature. Aware of the significance,… Read the full story

Today we remember Victorian writer Charles Dickens, who died on this day in 1870 at the age of 58. Image: Charles Dickens / Library of Congress Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England. He was the second child of John Dickens, a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, and Elizabeth Dickens. When his father was imprisoned for debt, a twelve-year-old Dickens was forced to leave school and work in a… Read the full story

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was born on this day in 1867 in the farming town of Richland Center, Wisconsin. Considered one of the greatest architects in history, Wright has designed some of the most iconic buildings in the world. Image: Frank Lloyd Wright / Library of Congress He was born Franklin Lincoln Wright on June 8, 1867 to William Cary Wright, a music teacher and minister, and Anna Lloyd Jones, a country school teacher. He was… Read the full story

On this day in 1917, singer and actor Dean Martin was born in Steubenville, Ohio. Image: Dean Martin / Wikimedia Commons He was born Dino Paul Crocetti to Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti and Angela Barra. At home, Martin first learned to speak Italian and didn’t learn to speak English until he first went to school at the age of 5. After dropping out of high school, Martin bootlegged liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, worked as a blackjack… Read the full story

Who are your Patriot ancestors? On this day in 1755, Nathan Hale, soldier and spy for the Continental Army, was born in Coventry, Connecticut. Image: Nathan Hale / New York Public Library He was born to Richard Hale and Elizabeth Strong and was the great grandson of Reverend John Hale, who was one of the most prominent figures of the Salem Witch Trials. At the age of 14, Hale went to study at Yale College and became… Read the full story

On this day in 1840, Victorian poet and novelist Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset, England. Considered one of the most renowned writers in the history of English literature, Hardy’s works were often critical of Victorian society and the decline of rural life. Image: Thomas Hardy / National Science and Media Museum, Flickr Hardy was the eldest of four children born to Thomas Hardy, a stonemason and local builder, and his wife, Jemima Hand. His early… Read the full story

Today we remember Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe on what would have been her 97th birthday. Image: Marilyn Monroe / Wikimedia Commons She was born Norma Jean Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California to Gladys Pearl Baker. Shortly after her birth, her name was changed to Baker. Her father’s identity remains unknown. Marilyn’s mother suffered from mental illness and spent much of her life in and out of hospitals. Growing up, Marilyn lived with… Read the full story