February 2025

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

One of the challenges of building and maintaining the World Family Tree is balancing personal preferences within a shared, collaborative environment. A perfect example of this is how names are displayed on Geni. From surnames in all caps to displaying birth surnames instead of last names, Geni’s flexible Name Preferences settings offers you the chance to view profile names exactly how you want them without imposing your preference on others.  Today we’re excited to take… Read the full story

Today we remember actor Gene Hackman, who has passed away at the age of 95. Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found deceased in their home in Santa Fe, Arizona, along with their dog. Image: Gene Hackman / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, cropped Hackman was born Eugene Allen Hackman on January 30, 1930 in San Bernardino, California to Eugene Hackman and Anna Lyda Elizabeth Gray. He left home at the age of… Read the full story

On this day in 1802, French poet and novelist Victor Hugo was born. A leading figure of the Romantic movement in literature, today Hugo is considered to be one of the greatest French writers in history. Image: Victor Hugo / Library of Congress Hugo was born in Besançon, France on February 26, 1802 to Sophie Trébuchet and Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo, a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. A well regarded figure during his lifetime, Hugo is perhaps… Read the full story

Do you have a favorite Beatles song? Today we remember George Harrison, who was born on February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, England. Image: George Harrison / Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum, Wikimedia Commons The youngest of four children, much of Harrison’s early life was filled with music. He first joined Paul McCartney and John Lennon at the age of 14 when the group was still called the Quarrymen. Forming the Beatles with the addition… Read the full story

Did you enjoy reading fairy tales growing up? On this day in 1786, German author Wilhelm Grimm was born. Image: Wilhelm Grimm Wilhelm Carl Grimm was born on February 24, 1786 in Hanau, Germany. The younger half of the famous Brothers Grimm, Grimm began his professional career studying law at the University of Marburg alongside his brother Jacob. The brothers remained close throughout their lives and dedicated many years collecting and documenting German folktales together. They… 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

On this day in 1927, actor Sidney Poitier was born. Image: Sidney Poitier / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Poitier was born two months premature on February 20, 1927 while his Bahamian parents were visiting Miami, Florida. The family remained in Miami for three months before returning to the Bahamas. As a teen, Poitier returned to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II after lying about his age. In… Read the full story

On this day in 1473, mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born. Copernicus is remembered for formulating a heliocentric model of the universe, which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center. Image: Nicolaus Copernicus / New York Public Library Copernicus was born to an affluent merchant family in what is today Toruń, Poland. At the age of 10, Copernicus’s father died. His paternal uncle then took it upon himself to ensure Copernicus received a good… Read the full story

Happy birthday to John Travolta! Today the film star turns 71. Image: Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 3.0) Travolta was born on February 18, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey. The youngest of six children, Travolta was born into a family of entertainers. His father, Salvatore Travolta, was a semi-professional football player and his mother, Helen Cecilia Burke, was an actress and singer. Intent on pursuing a career in acting, Travolta dropped out of… Read the full story

Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass was born into slavery around February 1817 in Talbot County, Maryland. Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, Douglass later chose to celebrate his birthday on February 14. Image: Frederick Douglass / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration As a child, Douglass was sent to live with a ship carpenter named Hugh Auld. During this time, Auld’s wife began teaching Douglass how to read. Douglass would continue to teach himself… Read the full story

Today we are excited to announce that wikitext formatting in discussions and inbox messages is now available to Geni Pro subscribers. If you have a Geni Pro account, you can now customize the format of your discussion and inbox messages, and include hyperlinks and images! This feature has been available to Geni curators for a while and we are happy to finally give access to this handy feature to all Geni Pro users.  Discussions When… Read the full story

On this day in 1728, Scottish surgeon John Hunter was born. Known as the “Father of Scientific Surgery,” Hunter’s pioneering work led to many remarkable insights in medicine. Image: John Hunter / National Library of Wales, Wikimedia Commons Hunter was born on February 13, 1728 in Long Calderwood, East Kilbride, Scotland. The youngest of 10 children, Hunter had little formal education. In 1748, he traveled to London to work as a dissection assistant to his… Read the full story

On this day in 1809, Charles Darwin was born. Darwin’s theory of evolution by the process of natural selection transformed the world’s understanding of nature. In commemoration of his enormous contributions to science, his birthday is celebrated each year as Darwin Day. Image: Charles Darwin / Library of Congress Darwin was born at his family home, the Mount, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The large home was built by his father, Robert Darwin, a wealthy society doctor and financier. His… Read the full story

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison Image: Thomas Edison / Library of Congress On this day in 1847, Thomas Edison was born on in Milan, Ohio. He was the youngest of seven children born to Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr. and Nancy Matthews Elliott. His father was an exiled political activist from Canada and had taken part in… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Laura Dern! Today the actress turns 58. 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

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 February 6, 1756, American politician Aaron Burr was born. Image: Aaron Burr / New York Public Library Burr was the third Vice President of the United States, serving during President Thomas Jefferson’s first term. History perhaps best remembers him for fatally shooting his greatest rival, Alexander Hamilton, during a duel in 1804. Although charges for the illegal duel were eventually dropped, Burr’s political career never recovered. Did you know Burr was once tried for treason? According to accusations,… Read the full story

On this day in 1804, Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg was born. Considered the national poet of Finland, Runeberg wrote in the Swedish language and had a significant impact on Swedish literature. Image: Johan Ludvig Runeberg / The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, Flickr Runeberg was born on February 5, 1804 in what is now Pietarsaari, Finland to a Swedish-speaking family. He was the eldest of six children born to Lorenz Ulrik Runeberg and… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the birth of Rosa Parks! The inspirational civil rights activist was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Image: Rosa Parks / Schlesinger Library, RIAS, Harvard University, Flickr In 1955, Parks was thrust in front of the American public when she refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger. The incident resulted in her arrest and sparked a city-wide boycott, known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her act… Read the full story

Today we remember American illustrator Norman Rockwell, who was born on February 3, 1894. Image: Norman Rockwell / Library of Congress Rockwell was born in New York City, New York to Jarvis Waring Rockwell and Anne “Nancy” Hill. From a young age, Rockwell wanted to be an artist and by the age of 14, he had enrolled in art school to pursue his passion. He found success early on when he landed his first major commission… Read the full story