March 2026

Happy birthday to Christopher Walken! Today the actor celebrates his 83rd birthday. Image: Tabercil, Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) Walken was born Ronald Walken on March 31, 1943 in Queens, New York to Rosalie Russell and Paul Walken. His father owned and operated a bakery, Walken’s Bakery, in Astoria. From a young age, Walken was a performer. He took dancing lessons as a young child and auditioned for many bit parts that were open for children… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Céline Dion! Today the French-Canadian singer turns 58. Image: Celine Dion / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) She was born on March 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada to a large family. The youngest of 14 children, Dion’s upbringing was always filled with music. She made her first public performance at the age of 5, performing with her siblings in her parents’ small piano bar. With dreams to become a singer, Dion… Read the full story

Today we remember Estonian poet Marie Under, who was born on this day in 1883. Considered one of Estonia’s great poets of the 20th century, Under was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times, but never won. Image: Marie Under / Wikimedia Commons Born in what is today Tallinn, Estonia, Under learned to read at the age of 4 and began writing her own poetry by the age of 14. She first wrote her… Read the full story

On this day in 1874, poet Robert Frost was born. One of the most celebrated poets in American history, Frost remains the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. Image: Robert Frost / Library of Congress Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California to William Prescott Frost, Jr., a journalist, and Isabelle Moodie. After his father’s death in 1885, the family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts. A gifted student, Frost… Read the full story

Image: Elton John / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Happy birthday to Elton John! Today the singer turns 79. John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, England on March 25, 1947. He began playing the piano at the age of 3, and by the age of 11, he had earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Today John is one of the best-selling artists in the world with over 300 million records sold worldwide…. Read the full story

On this day in 1874, illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini was born. Image: Harry Houdini / Library of Congress Houdini was born Erik Weisz on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. He was one of seven children born to Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weisz and Cecilia Steiner. Set on becoming a professional magician, Erik changed his name to Harry Houdini, after the French magician, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdini. He became widely known as “The Handcuff King” for… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Joan Crawford, who was born on March 23. The exact year of her birth is unknown, with various sources claiming she was born 1904-1908. Crawford herself claimed she was born in 1908. Image: Joan Crawford / Wikimedia Commons Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in San Antonio, Texas to Thomas E. Le Sueur and Anna Bell Johnson. From a young age, Crawford loved to dance and had ambitions to become a dancer…. Read the full story

On this day in 1828, Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen was born. Image: Henrik Ibsen / National Library of Norway, Flickr Ibsen was the oldest of five children born to Knud Ibsen and Marichen Altenburg in the small costal town of Skien in Telemark County, Norway. His maternal grandfather, Johan Andreas Altenburg was a wealthy merchant and shipowner in Skien. Although they were once a wealthy merchant family, by the time Ibsen was 8, they had… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Glenn Close! Today the star turns 79. Image: Glenn Close / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The versatile actress was born on March 19, 1947 in Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father was a prominent doctor and opened a clinic in the Belgian Congo. He also served as the personal physician of Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire. After graduating with a degree in drama from the College of William and Mary, Close made her Broadway… Read the full story

Are you related to a U.S. President? On March 18, 1837, Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey. Image: Grover Cleveland / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 Stephen Grover Cleveland was the fifth of nine children born to Ann Neal and Richard Falley Cleveland, a pastor. Known as “Big Steve” by friends because of his size, Cleveland dropped his first name and became known as Grover as an adult. His great grandfather, Richard Falley,… Read the full story

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Celebrated annually on March 17 for over a thousand years, this Irish cultural and religious holiday honors the memory of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. Image: St. Patrick / Library of Congress At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped from his home by pirates and taken to Ireland. During his enslavement, he discovered his call to Christianity and escaped his captors after six years. He returned to Ireland as a… Read the full story

On this day in 1751, James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, was born at Belle Grove Plantation near Port Conway, Virginia. Image: James Madison / Wikimedia Commons Madison was the oldest of twelve children born to James Madison, Sr. and Eleanor “Nelly” Conway. His father served as a colonel in the militia during the American Revolutionary War. After reaching adulthood, Madison inherited Mount Pleasant, the largest tobacco plantation in the area. As… Read the full story

We’re back from Salt Lake City, Utah, where we had an incredible time at RootsTech 2026. As the world’s largest genealogy conference, RootsTech always has a unique electricity in the air, and this year was no exception. The 2026 conference theme, “Together,” felt especially poignant. It perfectly mirrors Geni’s mission to connect everyone to a shared family tree of the world, fueled by a truly collaborative, global community of researchers. The highlight of our week… Read the full story

On this day in 1781, astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun. Image: William Herschel / Wikimedia Commons Born on November 15, 1738 in the Electorate of Hanover in Germany, then a part of the Holy Roman Empire, Herschel moved to Great Britain at the age of 19. He worked as a musician and composer before discovering an interest in astronomy. As his interests grew stronger, Herschel began building… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Liza Minnelli! Today she turns 80 years old. Image: Liza Minnelli / Wikimedia Commons On March 12, 1946, Liza Minnelli was born in Hollywood, California to Hollywood power couple Vincent Minnelli and Judy Garland. Primed for stardom at birth, Minnelli was able to step out of her mother’s shadow and enjoy a highly successful career in entertainment. She’s one of the rare few to have earned the coveted EGOT, an award in… Read the full story

Image: Frederick IX of Denmark / Wikimedia Commons On March 11, 1899, Frederick IX of Denmark was born. A highly popular monarch, Frederick IX reigned as the King of Denmark from 1947 until his death in 1972. Frederick IX and his wife Ingrid had three daughters and no sons. In 1953, the Act of Succession was passed, which allowed a female to inherit the throne if there were no male heirs. Upon his death, Frederick… Read the full story

Today we remember Harriet Tubman, who died on this day in 1913. After escaping from slavery herself, Tubman helped lead hundreds of others to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Image: Harriet Tubman / Library of Congress Tubman was born into slavery around 1822 and was one of nine children born to Harriet Green and Ben Ross. Her parents named her Araminta and gave her the nickname “Minty.” She later changed her name to Harriet in… Read the full story

On this day in 1934, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was born in the village of Klushino in Smolensk, Russia. Gagarin made history in 1961 when he became the first human to travel into outer space. Image: Yuri Gagarin / NASA Gagarin was the third of four children born to Alexey Ivanovich Gagarin, a carpenter and bricklayer, and Anna Timofeyevna Gagarina, a milkmaid. He made his first flight after joining a local flying club. He trained as… Read the full story

On this day in 1806, English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born. During her lifetime, Browning was considered to be one of the most popular Victorian poets of the era. Image: Elizabeth Barrett Browning / Library of Congress Browning was the eldest of twelve children born to Edward Barrett Moulton-Barrett and Mary Graham Clark. The family had acquired their wealth as sugar plantation owners in Jamaica, but her father chose to raise his family in England. Educated… Read the full story

On this day in 1873, Norwegian ski campion and polar explorer Olav Bjaaland was born. Image: Olav Bjaaland / Wikimedia Commons Bjaaland was born on March 5, 1873 on the Søndre Bjaaland farm at Morgedal in Telemark, Norway. The small village of Morgedal is known as the cradle of skiing. One of its most famous residents was Sondre Norheim, who is known as the father of modern skiing. Known at the time as one of… Read the full story

We are thrilled to unveil an exclusive new feature for our Geni Pro subscribers, the Geni Pro Workspace. The Geni Pro Workspace is a private, dedicated area to organize your family history research exactly how you want it. Whether you are deep in a research rabbit hole or just getting started on a new branch, the Geni Pro Workspace lets you capture notes, set to-dos, and manage your private projects without ever leaving Geni. Have… Read the full story

On this day in 1781, Jewish American educator and philanthropist Rebecca Gratz was born. Image: Rebecca Gratz / Princeton University Art Museum, Wikimedia Commons Gratz was born on March 4, 1781 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was the seventh of twelve children born to Michael Gratz and Miriam Simon. Her father immigrated to America in 1752 from Germany and was descended from a long line of respected rabbis. Her maternal grandfather was Joseph Simon, a merchant… Read the full story

Do you have inventors in your family tree? On this day in 1847, inventor and engineer Alexander Graham Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Image: Alexander Graham Bell / Library of Congress As the inventor of the first practical telephone, Bell’s work was heavily influenced by his life at home. Both his mother and his wife were deaf, while his father, grandfather and brother concentrated their work on elocution and speech. In 1876, Bell received… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! Today in 1904, beloved children’s book author Theodor Seuss Geisel was born. Image: Theodor Seuss Geisel / Library of Congress Geisel was boron on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Theodor Robert Geisel, a brewmaster, and Henrietta Seuss. After the family brewery closed because of Prohibition, Geisel’s father was appointed as superintendent of the Springfield public park system. Much of Geisel’s writing was inspired by his life growing up in Springfield. When… Read the full story