December 2025

As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what made 2025 such a memorable year for Geni. From new features to a major milestone for the World Family Tree, this year was filled with discoveries, collaboration, and connections that brought family history to life. Join us as we revisit some of the highlights that made 2025 a year to remember on Geni. New Features and a Major Milestone We… Read the full story

It’s New Year’s Eve! It wouldn’t be a New Year’s celebration without hearing the holiday’s signature song, “Auld Lang Syne.” Did you know Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788? Image: Robert Burns / Library of Congress The song was set to the tune of an old Scottish folk song and was never intended to be a holiday song. Nevertheless, the song gained enormous popularity and it became tradition to sing the song to… Read the full story

Do you remember reading The Jungle Book? On this day in 1865, author Rudyard Kipling was born. Image: Rudyard Kipling / Library of Congress He was born on December 30, 1865 in Bombay, in Bombay Presidency of British India to John Lockwood Kipling and Alice MacDonald. Kipling’s experiences in India, as both a young child and years later as a young adult, highly influenced much of his writings. Considered a major innovator in the art… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Ted Danson! Today the popular star turns 78. Image: Ted Danson / Dominique Redfearn, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) He was born Edward Bridge Danson III on December 29, 1947 in San Diego, California. His father, Edward “Ned” Bridge Danson, Jr., was an archaeologist and a director of the Museum of Northern Arizona. Raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, Danson attended Stanford University where he became interested in drama. He later transferred to Carnegie… Read the full story

On this day in 1803, Estonian writer Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald was born. A pivotal figure of Estonian literature, Kreutzwald is often considered to be the father of the national literature. He was the author of the national epic Kalevipoeg. Image: Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald / Wikimedia Commons Kreutzwald was born on December 26, 1803 in Kadrina, Virumaa, Estonia, then a part of the Russian Empire. From humble beginnings, Kreutzwald managed to receive a good education and… Read the full story

On this day in 1823, the popular holiday poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” was first published in the Troy New York Sentinel. Today the poem is more commonly known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Although initially published anonymously, Clement Clarke Moore would later claim authorship of the poem. However, in recent years, some have claimed that the poem’s true author may actually be Henry Livingston, Jr. Image: New York Public Library Since its publication, the poem has become… Read the full story

On this day in 1858, Italian composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy. Image: Giacomo Puccini / Library of Congress He was born Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini to Michele Puccine and Albina Magi. One of nine children, Puccini had come from a long line of musicians. His second great grandfather, also named Giacomo Puccini, was the first of five generations of composers in the family. Remembered as one of the greatest… Read the full story

Today we remember French singer and actress Édith Piaf, who was born on December 19, 1915 in Paris, France. Image: Édith Piaf / Nationaal Archief, CC0 She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion to Annetta Giovanna Maillard, a cafe singer, and Louis Alphonse Gassion, a street acrobat. Piaf was named after the World War I British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed for helping soldiers escape from German captivity in Belgium. Piaf first rose to fame after she… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Steven Spielberg! Today the legendary director turns 79. Image: Steven Spielberg / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Spielberg was born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Leah Posner, a concert pianist and restauranteur, and Arnold Spielberg, an electrical engineer. He developed an interest in filmmaking as a child after earning his Boy Scout photography merit badge with a nine-minute 8mm film entitled The Last Gunfight. In the late 1960s, Spielberg began… Read the full story

On this day in 1706, French mathematician Émilie du Châtelet was born. Image: Émilie du Châtelet / Wikimedia Commons Du Châtelet was born Garbielle Émilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil on December 17, 1706 in Paris, France. Her father, Louis Nicolas le Tonnelier de Breteuil, was a member of the lesser nobility. He held a weekly salon, to which well-respected writers and scientists were often invited. An intelligent child, du Châtelet’s father brought in tutors to… Read the full story

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born 255 years ago. Image: Ludwig van Beethoven / Library of Congress Beethoven was born in Bonn in the Electorate of Cologne, which was then a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Although there is no known record of the exact date of his birth, it is known that his baptism took place on December 17, 1770. Since baptisms typically took place a day after birth during this time,… Read the full story

On this day 1832, French architect and engineer Gustave Eiffel was born in Dijon, France. He is perhaps best remembered for his work to build the Eiffel Tower, which bears his name. Originally constructed for the 1889 Universal Exposition, today the tower has become one of the most recognizable structures in the world and an iconic symbol of France. Image: Gustave Eiffel / Rijksmuseum, Wikimedia Commons Eiffel was born Alexandre-Gustave Bönickhausen on December 15, 1832 to Catherine-Mélanie Moneuse and… Read the full story

Have you seen the painting The Scream? Today we remember Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, who was born on this day in 1863. Image: Edvard Munch / National Library of Norway Munch was born in a farmhouse in Løten, Norway on December 12, 1863. After his mother died in 1868, Edvard and his siblings were raised by his father, who often entertained the children with vivid ghost-stories and tales of Edgar Allan Poe. These stories and the loss of… Read the full story

Pioneering astronomer Annie Jump Cannon was born on December 11, 1863 in Dover, Delaware. Nicknamed the “Census Taker of the Sky,” Cannon was instrumental in the development of the current system of stellar classification. Image: Annie Jump Cannon / Library of Congress Cannon was the eldest of three daughters born to Wilson Lee Cannon, a ship builder and Delaware state senator, and his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Jump. From a young age, Cannon had a… Read the full story

“That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.” – Emily Dickinson On this day in 1830, poet Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. Image: Emily Dickinson / Wikimedia Commons With deep ancestral roots in New England, Dickinson lived much of her life in her family’s homestead in Amherst. She was born to a prominent family with strong ties to the community. Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was one of the… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary actor Kirk Douglas, who was born on this day in 1916. Image: Kirk Douglas / Wikimedia Commons Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York. His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants and the family adopted the surname Demsky in the United States. Growing up, Douglas went by the name Izzy Demsky until he legally changed it to Kirk Douglas shortly before entering the Navy during World War II. After… Read the full story

On this day in 1542, Mary, Queen of Scots was born in Linlithgow, Scotland. Image: Mary, Queen of Scots / Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0) The only legitimate child of King James V, Mary was named Queen of Scots just six days after her birth when her father died following the Battle of Solway Moss. While still an infant, her great uncle, King Henry VIII of England, took the opportunity to propose marriage… Read the full story

What’s your favorite Disney film? On this day in 1901, Walt Disney was born. A pioneer in animation, Disney co-created the iconic cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. He produced several classic animated films and founded the Disney theme parks, which are still enjoyed by visitors from all around the world today. Image: Walt Disney / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Disney was born Walter Elias Disney on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the fourth of… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Jeff Bridges! Today the actor turns 76. Image: Jeff Bridges / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Born into a Hollywood family, Bridges got his start on film as an infant in the movie, The Company She Keeps. His father, Lloyd Bridges, was a prolific actor best known for starring in the television series Sea Hunt. Growing up, Jeff was very close to his older brother, Beau, who often acted as a surrogate father when their… Read the full story

On this day in 1857, author Joseph Conrad was born in Berdychiv in what was then the Russian Empire. Regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the English language, Conrad was in his twenties before he was able to speak the language fluently. Image: Joseph Conrad / New York Public Library He was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski to Polish parents, Apollo Korzeniowski and Ewelina Bobrawska. Conrad’s family belonged to the Polish szlachta (nobility) and were… Read the full story

On this day in 1852, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte took the French throne as Napoleon III. Image: Napoleon III / Wikimedia Commons The nephew and only heir to Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte was born in Paris, France on April 20, 1808. After Napoleon was removed from power in 1815, the entire Bonaparte family was forced into exile. Determined to reclaim the French crown, Louis-Napoléon attempted a failed coup. Undeterred, he continued to assert his views in political writings… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Bette Midler! Today the singer and actress turns 80. Image: Bette Midler / Alan Light, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Bette Midler was born on December 1, 1945 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Ruth Schindel, a seamstress, and Fred Midler, a painter at a Navy base. She was named after Bette Davis, one of her mother’s favorite actresses. Growing up in Hawaii, Bette’s family was one of the few Jewish families in the neighborhood. She attended Radford… Read the full story