January 2024

On this day in 1919, baseball legend Jackie Robinson was born. Image: Jackie Robinson / Library of Congress Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia to a family of share croppers. He was given the middle name “Roosevelt” in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, who had died 25 days before he was born. The youngest of five children, Robinson was not the only gifted athlete in his family. His brother, Matthew “Mack” Robinson, was… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Gene Hackman! Today the star turns 94. Image: Gene Hackman / Christopher Michael Little, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Eugene Allen Hackman was born on January 30, 1930 in San Bernardino, California to Eugene Hackman and Anna Lyda Elizabeth Gray. At the age of 16, he left home to join the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a field radio operator. In 1956, he began to pursue an acting career and joined the… Read the full story

Since first introducing the Source Assistant, Geni users have been able to use this powerful tool to quickly and easily extract information from confirmed MyHeritage Record Matches and Smart Matches™ to the family tree on Geni. Today we are happy to announce that Geni will now notify you by email about pending Source Assistant items to review. These notifications serve as a reminder that you may have exciting new information waiting to be added to… Read the full story

On this day in 1843, William McKinley was born in Niles, Ohio. Image: William McKinley / Library of Congress McKinley was the last president to have served in the American Civil War. He first joined the Union Army as a private and ended as a brevet major. In 1897, he was sworn in as the 25th President of the United States. During his presidency, McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War. As part of… Read the full story

On this day in 1892, pioneering aviator Bessie Coleman was born. Coleman was the first African-American woman and the first Native American to hold a pilot license. Image: Bessie Coleman / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive, Flickr Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was born on January 26, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas to George Coleman and Susan Richardson. Born into a family of sharecroppers, Coleman worked the fields at a young age. She briefly attended the… Read the full story

Do you have Scottish ancestry? On this day in 1759, Scottish poet Robert Burns was born in Alloway, Scotland. Image: Robert Burns / Library of Congress The eldest son of William Burns and Agnes Brown, Burns spent his early years working on farms and received little formal education while growing up. However, his parents encouraged him to read and he found writing to be an escape from the hard labor of farming. In 1786, a collection… Read the full story

Are you a fan of Neil Diamond? On January 24, 1941, the famous singer-songwriter was born in Brooklyn, New York. Image: Neil Diamond / Irisgerh, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) Diamond received his first guitar at the age of 16 and soon began writing his own music. An accomplished swordsman, he attended New York University on a fencing scholarship and was a member of the 1960 NCAA men’s championship team. He later dropped out of… Read the full story

On this day in 1737, John Hancock was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. A prominent Patriot during the American Revolutionary War, Hancock is often remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence. Image: John Hancock / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 After his father’s death in 1744, Hancock was sent to live with his uncle and aunt, Thomas Hancock and Lydia Henchman. His uncle was a highly successful merchant… Read the full story

Do you have any poets in your family tree? On this day in 1788, English poet Lord Byron was born in London, England. Image: Lord Byron / Library of Congress Regarded as one of the greatest British poets in history, Lord Byron is perhaps just as well known for his amorous escapades as his works of literature. He was born George Gordon Byron on January 22, 1788. He was the son of Captain John “Mad… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Dolly Parton! Today the country superstar turns 78. Image: Dolly Parton / Library of Congress She was born on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee. The fourth of twelve children, Parton grew up in poverty and often sang of her family’s struggles in her music. She began performing as a child and made television appearances by the age of ten. Since scoring her first No. 1 hit, Parton has enjoyed a… Read the full story

It’s Winnie the Pooh Day! The day commemorates the birthday of Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne, who was born on January 18, 1882 in London, England. In 1926, Milne first published his beloved children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh, a collection of stories following the adventures of the honey-loving teddy bear and his friends. Image: A.A. Milne / Library of Congress Although he studied mathematics in school, Milne found his passion as a writer. He was writing magazine articles… Read the full story

On January 17, 1942, boxing champion Muhammad Ali was born. Image: Muhammad Ali / Library of Congress Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky. At the age of 18, he won a gold medal in boxing in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He went on to become the first and only three-time lineal World Heavyweight Champion. In his retirement, Ali devoted much of his time to philanthropy and despite his diagnosis with Parkinson’s,… Read the full story

Today we remember trailblazing Mexican film actress Katy Jurado, who was born on this day in 1924. Considered one of the leading actresses during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, Jurado was one of the first Mexican actresses to successfully crossover to Hollywood. Image: Katy Jurado / Wikimedia Commons She was born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to a wealthy family. Despite the disapproval of her family, Jurado decided to pursue… Read the full story

Today we remember civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 95th birthday. Image: Martin Luther King, Jr. / Library of Congress King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to Martin Luther King, Sr., a Baptist pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher. A gifted student, King enrolled in Morehouse College at the age of 15. An inspiring leader, King sought to bring an end to… Read the full story

Do you remember reading White Fang? American author Jack London was born on this day in 1876 in San Francisco, California. Image: Jack London / Library of Congress London was born John Griffith Chaney to Flora Wellman and William Chaney. His biological father was never a part of his life and his mother would later marry John London, a veteran of the Civil War. At the age of 21, London left for the Klondike to join… Read the full story

Today we remember Founding Father of the United States Alexander Hamilton, who was born on January 11, 1755 or 1757. The exact year Hamilton was born in unknown since historical records have shown his year of birth as both 1755 and 1757. Image: Alexander Hamilton / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Hamilton was born in Charlestown on the island of Nevis, then a part of the British West Indies. Both he and his brother, James Jr.,… Read the full story

Do you have a favorite Rod Stewart song? Today the legendary artist celebrates his 79th birthday. Image: Rod Stewart / Helge Øverås, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) He was born Roderick David Stewart in London, England on January 10, 1945. The youngest of five children, Stewart excelled at soccer and had dreams of becoming a professional soccer player before choosing to follow his passion for music instead. After dropping out of school at the age of 15, Stewart… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Joan Baez! Today the American folk singer turns 83. Image: Joan Baez / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Baez was born on January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York to Albert Baez and Joan Bridge. Her mother was born in Scotland while her father was born in Mexico. Baez’s father was noted physicist and made important contributions to the early development of the X-ray microscope. An activist and songwriter, Baez often used her… Read the full story

Today we remember iconic singer Elvis Presley on what would have been his 89th birthday. Image: Elvis Presley / Wikimedia Commons The King of Rock and Roll was born on January 8, 1935 in a two-room shotgun house built by his father in Tupelo, Mississippi. From his very humble beginnings, Elvis would go on to become one of the world’s greatest music legends. Elvis catapulted to stardom after his infamous appearance on the Milton Berle Show, where he… Read the full story

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the death of botanist and inventor George Washington Carver. Born into slavery, George would rise to become one of the most prominent scientists of his time. He revolutionized the agriculture industry by developing new crop rotation methods to better conserve nutrients in the soil. Image: George Washington Carver / Library of Congress George was born in Diamond, Missouri in 1864, shortly before the end of slavery. His mother, Mary, was a slave… Read the full story

Happy World Braille Day! Today the world celebrates the birth of Louis Braille, the man who created a system of reading and writing for the blind and visually impaired. Known simply as braille, the system is still used today by millions all around the world. Image: Braille / New York Public Library Braille was born on January 4, 1809 in Coupvray, France to Simon-René Braille and Monique Baron. At the age of 3, Braille injured his eye… Read the full story

Today we remember social reformer and abolitionist Lucretia Mott, who was born on January 3, 1793 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Image: Lucretia Mott / Library of Congress She was born Lucretia Coffin and was the second of five children born to Anna Folger and Thomas Coffin. Through her mother, Mott had many ancestral ties to several notable early Americans, including Benjamin Franklin, who was her first cousin four times removed. His grandparents, Peter Folger and Mary… Read the full story

Are you a fan of science fiction? On this day in 1920, prolific science fiction author Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, Russia. Image: Isaac Asimov / Library of Congress Born Isaak Yudovick Ozimov, the author immigrated with his family to the United States as a child. The family settled in Brooklyn, New York and owned a succession of candy stores. The candy stores sold newspapers and magazines, which Asimov would later claim to have greatly influenced… Read the full story