July 2026

Do you have Mexican ancestry? On this day in 1907, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo was born. Image: Frida Kahlo / Library of Congress She was born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón in her parents’ house, known as La Casa Azul, in Coyocoán, a town on the outskirts of Mexico City. Her father, Guillermo Kahlo, was born Carl Wilhelm Kahlo in Pforzheim, Germany. A photographer, Frida’s father traveled to Mexico at the age of 19 and changed his… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Tom Cruise! Today the actor turns 64. Image: Tom Cruise / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Tom Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962 in Syracuse, New York. When he was young, Cruise had considered becoming a priest, however, he left after a year in seminary school. He was encouraged to join the drama department in high school and caught the bug for acting. After making… Read the full story

Every genealogist knows the unique thrill of uncovering an ancestor who played a role in shaping history. This week, that connection feels more profound than ever. On July 4th, the United States will celebrate a monumental historic milestone, the Semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Thanks to Geni’s World Family Tree, millions of our users are already deeply interconnected with the very fabric of America’s founding story. To celebrate… Read the full story

On this day in 1903, Olav V of Norway was born. Nicknamed “the People’s King,” Olav was immensely popular during his reign for his down-to-earth style. Image: Olav V of Norway / National Library of Norway The Norwegian monarch was born with the name Alexander Edward Christian Frederik on July 2, 1903 at Appleton House at the royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. He was the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud, the… Read the full story

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” Today we remember Diana, Princess of Wales on what would have been her 65th birthday. Fondly known as the People’s Princess, Diana was one of the most adored members of the British royal family.  Image: Princess Diana, Wikimedia Commons Diana Frances Spencer was born into an aristocratic English family on… Read the full story