October 2025

On this day in 1795, English Romantic poet John Keats was born in London, England. Image: John Keats / Wikimedia Commons The son of Thomas Keats and Frances Jennings, Keats was the eldest of the couple’s four surviving children. Keats lost both of his parents while he was still young. His father died when Keats was 8 after falling from a horse. When he was 14, his mother died of tuberculosis. During this time, Keats found… Read the full story

Remember watching Happy Days? Today star Henry Winkler turns 80! Image: Abbyarcane, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 A graduate of the prestigious Yale School of Drama, the classically trained actor got his big break when he was cast as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the classic sitcom Happy Days. Although the Fonz was originally meant to be a minor character, Winkler immediately became an audience favorite. Did you know that initially he was not allowed to wear his signature leather jacket? Executives… Read the full story

On this day in 1891, radio star and actress Fanny Brice was born in Manhattan, New York. Known as the original “Funny Girl,” Brice entertained audiences for over four decades with her comedic chops, which made her one of America’s earliest female comedy superstars. Image: Fanny Brice / Library of Congress Brice was born Fania Borach to Rose Stern, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, and Charles Borach, an Alstatian immigrant. The third of four children, Brice got her… Read the full story

On this day in 1914, Dr. Jonas Salk was born. Salk discovered and developed the first successful polio vaccine. Image: Jonas Salk / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive, Flickr Salk was born on October 28, 1914 in New York City, New York to Daniel Salk and Dora Press. His parents were Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants. Although they lacked a formal education, they encouraged Salk and his siblings to pursue their education. A gifted student, Salk… Read the full story

Have you found how you’re related to a U.S. President? On this day in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was born. Image: Theodore Roosevelt / Library of Congress Born into the prominent and wealthy Roosevelt family in New York, Roosevelt was nicknamed “Teddy” when he was young. He suffered from poor health as a child, but by his teens he was able to maintain a physically active lifestyle and become known… Read the full story

Teacher Annie Edson Taylor had a unique way of celebrating her 63rd birthday on October 24, 1901. On that day, Taylor became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Image: Annie Edson Taylor / Library of Congress She was born on October 24, 1838 in Auburn, New York and was one of eight children. Taylor grew up comfortably and studied to become a school teacher before marrying at the age of… Read the full story

Do you remember watching The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson? Today we remember legendary talk show host Johnny Carson on what would have been his 100th birthday. Image: Johnny Carson / State Library and Archives of Florida, Flickr Carson was born on October 23, 1925 in Corning, Iowa to Homer Lloyd “Kit” Carson and Ruth Hook. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy and served as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages. Carson took… Read the full story

Great Scott! Today actor Christopher Lloyd turns 87! Best known for portraying Doc Brown in the popular Back to the Future film trilogy, Lloyd has been entertaining audiences on the stage and screen for nearly six decades. Image: Christopher Lloyd / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 Lloyd was born on October 22, 1938 in Stamford, Connecticut to Samuel R. Lloyd and Ruth Laphram. His maternal grandfather, Lewis Lepham, was one of the founders of Texaco Oil Company…. Read the full story

Today we remember Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher, who was born on this day in 1956. Image: Carrie Fisher / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The daughter of Hollywood stars Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Fisher was an avid reader growing up and became known in her family as “the bookworm.” At the age of 18, Fisher made her film debut in the 1975 film Shampoo. Two years later, she catapulted to stardom when she was… Read the full story

On this day in 1915, American playwright Arthur Miller was born in Harlem, New York. Image: Arthur Miller / Nationaal Archief Arthur Asher Miller was born to Augusta Barnett and Isidore Miller. His father owned a successful women’s clothing manufacturing business and the family lived a comfortable lifestyle until nearly losing everything during the Great Depression. In 1956, he married for the second time to actress Marilyn Monroe. Their high profile relationship thrusted him into the Hollywood spotlight. Shortly… Read the full story

On this day in 1925, actress Angela Lansbury was born. Image: Angela Lansbury / Eva Rinaldi, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The Murder, She Wrote actress was born in London, England on October 16, 1925 to Edgar Lansbury, a politician, and stage and film actress Moyna Macgill. When she was nine, her father died from stomach cancer. She had stated that his death was a defining moment of her life. At the onset of the Blitz in 1940,… Read the full story

On this day in 1951, the classic television show I Love Lucy premiered for the first time on CBS. The beloved sitcom starred real-life couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo and William Frawley and Vivian Vance as the Ricardo’s best friends and neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz. Image: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz / Wikimedia Commons Originally, executives pursued Ball to adapt her popular radio series, My Favorite Husband, for television. She… Read the full story

On this day in 1890, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, was born. Image: Dwight D. Eisenhower / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration The third of seven sons, Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890. Growing up, Eisenhower went by the nickname “Ike,” which was an abbreviation of his last name. After graduating from West Point in 1915, Eisenhower married Mamie Doud. The couple would have two children, but only their son John… Read the full story

On this day in 1861, Norwegian explorer, scientist, and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen was born. In 1922, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work helping displaced refugees after World War I. Image: Fridtjof Nansen / National Library of Norway Nansen was born on October 10, 1861 in Oslo, Norway to Baldur Fridtjof Nansen and Adelaide Johanne Thekla Isidore Bølling Wedel-Jarlsberg. His mother was the niece of Norwegian statesman Herman Wedel Jarlsberg, who had an… Read the full story

Along your journey to uncover your family history, you’ve probably spent countless hours reviewing old documents and adding as much information as you can into the family tree on Geni, helping to connect the dots between your ancestors, distant relatives, and even famous historical figures. While hard at work, you may not realize that Geni’s Statistics feature can provide you with a new perspective on your family. What is the Statistics feature on Geni? The… Read the full story

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” Today we remember singer John Lennon on what would have been his 85th birthday. Image: John Lennon / Library of Congress Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England to Julia Stanley and Alfred Lennon. He was named John Winston after his paternal grandfather, John “Jack” Lennon, and then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill. By the age of 4,… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Sigourney Weaver! Today the star turns 76. Image: Sigourney Weaver / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Sigourney Weaver was born Susan Alexandra Weaver on October 8, 1949 in New York City, New York. Her mother, Elizabeth Inglis, was an English actress and her father, Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, was the former president of NBC. By the age of 14, Weaver began going by the name “Sigourney” after discovering the name in F. Scott… Read the full story

On this day in 1849, poet Edgar Allan Poe died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 40. Known for his mysterious and macabre tales, it seems almost fitting that his death would be just as strange. Image: Edgar Allan Poe / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Death plagued much of the early years of his life. Within three years after his birth, both of… Read the full story

On this day in 1820, Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Image: Jenny Lind / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 Nicknamed the “Swedish Nightingale,” Lind was one of America’s first female celebrities. A sensation across Europe, Lind was persuaded by American showman P.T. Barnum to undertake a tour in the United States. Barnum succeeded in creating great publicity in anticipation for her arrival. Soon everyone in the country knew of Lind and her… Read the full story

Do you remember watching The Andy Griffith Show? 65 years ago today, the classic sitcom starring Andy Griffith premiered. Image: Andy Griffith / Wikimedia Commons Set in the small town of Mayberry, the show followed the lives of the widowed sheriff, Andy Taylor, his deputy Barney Fife, his young son, Opie, and his Aunt Bee. From the moment it premiered, the show was a success. For all 8 seasons, the show consistently remained one of the most popular… Read the full story

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi On this day in 1869, Mahatma Gandhi was born. Known as “the father of the nation,” Gandhi led India to independence from British rule through nonviolent civil protest. His leadership would inspire movements for civil rights and freedom through non-violent disobedience all around the world. Image: Mahatma Gandhi / Nationaal Archief, Wikimedia Commons He was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to a… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Julie Andrews! Today the beloved star turns 90. Image: Eva Rinaldi, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on October 1, 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. When she was young, her parents divorced and remarried. She later adopted her stepfather’s surname, Andrews. By the age of 10, she began performing with her mother and stepfather on stage. Since making her Broadway debut in 1954, Andrews has starred as… Read the full story