November 2023

What’s your favorite Mark Twain book? On this day in 1835, the author and humorist was born in Florida, Missouri. Today he is still considered to be one of the most popular and beloved writers in American literature. Image: Mark Twain / Library of Congress Samuel Langhorne Clemens was the sixth child born to John Marshal Clemens and Jane Lampton. He later adopted the pen name Mark Twain, which was derived from the riverboat term “mark twain.” By the fifth… Read the full story

Do you remember reading Little Women? On this day in 1832, author Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Image: Louisa May Alcott / Library of Congress The second daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott and Abby May, Alcott was born on her father’s 33rd birthday. Amos Alcott was a transcendentalist and established an experimental school in Boston. She grew up around family friends Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who were a part of the Transcendental… Read the full story

Remember reading the short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”? On this day in 1859, author Washington Irving died in his home at the age of 76. Image: Washington Irving / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Irving was the youngest of eleven children born to William Irving, Sr. and Sarah Sanders. He was born just as the American Revolution came to its end and was named after the hero of the revolution, George Washington. At… Read the full story

Are you a fan of martial arts movies? On this day in 1940, actor and martial arts legend Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, California. Considered one of the most influential martial artists of all time, Lee is often credited with helping to change the way Asians are depicted in American films. Image: Bruce Lee / Wikimedia Commons His father was a leading Hong Kong Cantonese opera singer and film actor. At the time of… Read the full story

On this day in 1784, Zachary Taylor was born. Taylor served as the 12th President of the United States until his death in 1850. Image: Zachary Taylor / Library of Congress Taylor was born on November 24, 1784 in Orange County, Virginia to a prominent family of plantation owners. His father, Richard Taylor, served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Taylor was related to a number of prominent figures in history. He was… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Jamie Lee Curtis! Today the actress turns 65. Image: Jamie Lee Curtis / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, Curtis followed in her parents footsteps and became an actress. In 1978, she made her film debut as the star of the horror film Halloween and subsequently went on to star in several more horror films, garnering her the title, “Scream Queen.” Her career… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Goldie Hawn! Today the actress turns 78. Image: Goldie Hawn / photo by Alan Light, Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0 She was born Goldie Jeanne Hawn on November 21, 1945 in Washington D.C. to Laura Steinhoff, a jewelry shop/dance school owner, and Edward Rutledge Hawn, a band musician. Goldie got her big break as a regular cast member on the sketch comedy show Laugh-In. Her Laugh-In persona let her easily segue into several popular film appearances, including Cactus… Read the full story

Today we remember Robert F. Kennedy, who was born on this day in 1925. Image: Robert F. Kennedy / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Robert was the seventh child of Joseph Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald. After successfully managing his older brother’s presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy appointed him Attorney General. Robert would become one of President Kennedy’s closest advisors during his administration. A year after his brother’s assassination, Robert won a seat… Read the full story

On this day in 1558, Mary I of England died at the age of 42. With no children of her own, her half-sister succeeded to the throne and ruled as Elizabeth I. Image: Mary I of England / Wikimedia Commons The only child of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Mary I ascended to the English throne after the death of her Protestant half-brother, Edward VI. She was the fourth crowned monarch… Read the full story

The Consistency Checker has played an important role to help improve the accuracy of the World Family Tree. Today we are excited to share that you will now receive a weekly email notification to alert you of inconsistencies found in the family tree on Geni. In the email notification, you will see a list of the most important issues discovered on profiles you manage. The Consistency Checker automatically checks 28 different types of inconsistencies and… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary actor Clark Gable, who died on this day in 1960 at the age of 59. Known as the “King of Hollywood,” Gable starred in more than 60 films, but is perhaps best remembered as Rhett Butler in the Civil War epic Gone With the Wind. Image: Clark Gable / Wikimedia Commons Born William Clark Gable on February 1, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio, Gable had early aspirations to become an actor. After… Read the full story

On November 15, 1887, American artist Georgia O’Keeffe was born. Image: Georgia O’Keeffe / Library of Congress O’Keeffe was born in a farmhouse in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin to Francis Calyxtus O’Keeffe and Ida Totto, who were both dairy farmers. The second of seven children, O’Keeffe knew she wanted to become an artist from a young age. She studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and then the Art Students League of New… Read the full story

On November 14, 1840, French impressionist painter Claude Monet was born. Image: Claude Monet / Wikimedia Commons The French painter is remembered as the founder of the French Impressionist movement. In fact, the movement’s name was derived from Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise. Monet’s artistic style sought to capture the movement of light and its changing qualities. His work often illustrated ordinary subject matters and nature, such as his famous series of paintings depicting haystacks and water… Read the full story

Do you remember reading Treasure Island or Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? On this day in 1850, author Robert Louis Stevenson was born. Image: Robert Louis Stevenson / Library of Congress Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Thomas Stevenson, a leading lighthouse engineer, and Margaret Balfour. As a child, Stevenson was prone to illnesses, often coughs and fevers, which persisted into adulthood. He was expected to follow in his family’s profession in lighthouse engineering, however, he… Read the full story

On this day in 1925, Welsh actor Richard Burton was born in Pontrhydyfen, Wales. Image: Richard Burton / Wikimedia Commons Born Richard Walter Jenkins, Jr., he was the twelfth child of parents Richard Walter Jenkins, Sr. and Edith Maude Thomas. His father was a coal miner and his mother worked as a bartender. At the age of two, he lost his mother shortly after she gave birth to the family’s thirteenth child. He was then taken… Read the full story

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about an ancestor? On this day in 1914, actress Hedy Lamarr was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungry. Although Lamarr was best known as an actress during MGM’s “Golden Age,” you may be surprised to learn about her background as an inventor and the role she played in the creation of wireless communication. Image: Hedy Lamarr / Wikimedia Commons During the 1940s, Lamarr starred in several successful films. But as… Read the full story

On this day in 1847, Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, was born in Dublin, Ireland. Image: Bram Stoker / Wikimedia Commons Abraham Stoker was the third of seven children born to Abraham Stoker and Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornley. As a child, Stoker suffered from an illness that left him bedridden until he started school at the age of seven. After studying mathematics at Trinity College, Stoker worked as a civil servant at Dublin Castle and as… Read the full story

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” – Marie Curie Image: Marie Curie / Nationaal Archief, Flickr Today we celebrate the life of renowned physicist Marie Curie, who was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. A pioneer in radiation research, Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person (and only woman) to win twice in different fields. She was born Maria Salomea… Read the full story

On this day in 1814, Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, was born in Dinant, in what is today Belgium. Image: Adolphe Sax / Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Wikimedia Commons Sax was born Antoine-Joseph Sax to Marie-Joseph Masson and Charles-Joseph Sax, a maker of wind and brass instruments. As a young child, Sax faced many near-death experiences. He was struck in the head by a brick, swallowed a needle, fell onto a burning stove, survived a fall from… Read the full story

Do you have Italian ancestry? On this day in 1801, operatic composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Catania, Sicily. Image: Vincenzo Bellini / Rijksmuseum Bellini was born to a highly musical family and showed signs of his musical talent at an early age. Although not much is known about his early life, some stories say that he learned to sing at 18 months and play the piano at the age of 3. His grandfather and his… Read the full story

Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France, was born on this day in 1755 in Vienna, Austria. Image: Marie Antoinette / Wikimedia Commons Marie Antoinette was born on November 2, 1755 and was the youngest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa. By the age of 15, her marriage to the future King of France, Louis XVI, had been arranged in order to cement an alliance between the French and Hapsburg… Read the full story

Have you read The Red Badge of Courage? On November 1, 1871, author Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey. Image: Stephen Crane / Wikimedia Commons Recognized as one of the most innovative writers of his generation, Crane began writing at the age of 4 and had published several articles by the age of 16. In 1895, Crane published what would become his most acclaimed novel, The Red Badge of Courage. Taking place during the American… Read the full story