2026

Are you related to American folk hero Davy Crockett? On this day in 1786, the famous frontiersman was born. Image: Davy Crockett / Library of Congress Crockett was born on August 17, 1786 to John M. Crockett and Rebecca Sullivan Crockett. He learned to shoot at the age of 8 and gained a reputation for hunting and story telling. In 1826, he was elected to Congress and served two terms before leaving politics to join the… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Halle Berry! Today the famous actress turns 60. Image: Halle Berry / Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 Berry was born Maria Halle Berry on August 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio to Judith Ann Hawkins, a psychiatric nurse, and Jerome Jesse Berry, a hospital attendant. After her parents divorced when she was four years old, Berry and her older sister were raised by her mother. Before becoming an actress, Berry competed in several… Read the full story

On this day in 1818, orator, abolitionist, and suffragist Lucy Stone was born. Image: Lucy Stone / Library of Congress Stone was born on August 13, 1818 on her family’s farm in West Brookfield, Massachusetts to Francis Stone and Hannah Matthews. From an early age, Stone was frustrated by the restrictions placed on women. Although her father ridiculed her desire to further her education, Stone was determined to go to college. She secured a position… Read the full story

On this day in 1881, pioneering film director Cecil B. DeMille was born. Considered to be a founding father of the Hollywood film industry, DeMille’s films were distinguished by their epic scale and groundbreaking special effects, which attracted vast audiences. Image: Cecil B. DeMille / Wikimedia Commons DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in a boarding house on Main Street in Ashfield, Massachusetts, where his parents had been vacationing for the summer. He was… Read the full story

Do you have any writers in your family tree? On this day in 1937, author Edith Wharton died at the age of 75 in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, France. Image: Edith Wharton / Wikimedia Commons Wharton was born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24, 1862 to George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander. The saying “keeping up with the Joneses” is said to refer to her paternal family, who were a very wealthy and socially prominent New York… Read the full story

On this day in 1874, Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, was born in West Branch, Iowa. Image: Herbert Hoover / Library of Congress Hoover was the son of Hulda Randall Minthorn and Jesse Hoover, a blacksmith. Sadly, by the age of 9, he was an orphan. He was raised by his uncle, John Minthorn, a physician and businessman. Before the presidency, Hoover worked as an engineer in China. He and his… Read the full story

Happy birthday to actress Charlize Theron! Today the star turns 51. Image: Charlize Theron / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Theron was born on August 7, 1975 in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa and grew up on her family’s farm outside of Johannesburg. She spent her childhood studying ballet, and although she saw herself as a dancer, she began her career as a model. After an injury left her unable to pursue a career as… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Lucille Ball, who was born on this day in 1911. Image: Lucille Ball / Wikimedia Commons Lucille Désirée Ball was born on August 6 ,1911 in Jamestown, New York. After her father died of typhoid fever in 1915, the family moved in with her maternal grandparents. She and her brother were later cared for by their step-grandparents after her mother remarried. As a teen, Ball attended the John Murray Anderson School for… Read the full story

Today we celebrate what would have been astronaut Neil Armstrong’s 96th birthday! Image: Neil Armstrong / NASA Neil Alden Armstrong was born to Stephen Koenig Armstrong and Viola Louise in Wapakoneta, Ohio on August 5, 1930. Armstrong’s love of flying began at a young age when his father took him on his first airplane flight at the age of five. After serving in the Korean War and finishing college, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for… Read the full story

We’re thrilled to announce some new improvements to MyHeritage Record Matches on Geni! Finding historical records for your ancestors is crucial for building a high-quality family tree, and now, we’ve made it easier than ever to discover and confirm records that are completely free to view with no MyHeritage data subscription required. While a MyHeritage data subscription gives you full access to billions of historical records, there are many incredibly valuable collections that are available… Read the full story

On this day in 1792, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in Sussex, England. Regarded as one of the greatest English Romantic poets of the 19th century, Shelley’s work was often characterized as visionary and radical by his peers. Image: Percy Bysshe Shelley / Wikimedia Commons Shelley was the eldest legitimate son born to Sir Timothy Shelley, a member of Parliament, and Elizabeth Pilfold. He grew up learning to fish and hunt in the meadows around… Read the full story

Do you have a connection to Norwegian royalty? On this day in 1872, Haakon VII of Norway was born. Regarded as one of the greatest Norwegians of the 20th century, Haakon VII is one of the few monarchs in history to have been elected to the throne. Image: Haakon VII / National Library of Norway, Flickr The Norwegian king was born Christian Frederick Carl Georg Valdemar Axel on August 3, 1872 in Denmark at Charlottenlund… Read the full story

Did your ancestors fight in the American Civil War? On this day in 1816, Union general George H. Thomas was born. Image: George H. Thomas / Library of Congress Thomas was born on July 31, 1816 in Newsom’s Depot, Virginia to John Thomas and Elizabeth Rochelle. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Thomas chose to stay with the U.S. Army despite his Virginian heritage. His decision to remain loyal to the Union caused… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Arnold Schwarzenegger! Today the star turns 79. Image: Arnold Schwarzenegger / Library of Congress Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria to Gustave Schwarzenegger, a local police chief, and Aurelia Jadrny. His father was once a member of the Nazi party and favored his eldest son over Arnold. Struggling with a tough home life, Arnold turned to movies as an escape and dreamed of moving to the U.S. At 15, he began weight… Read the full story

Today we remember Vincent van Gogh, who died on July 29, 1890. Although he is widely considered to be one of the most influential painters of the 20th century, van Gogh was virtually unknown during his lifetime. Image: Vincent van Gogh / Wikimedia Commons Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands to Theodorus van Gogh, a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. The eldest of… Read the full story

On this day in 1929, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was born. Image: Library of Congress Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28, 1929 in Southampton, New York. Her father, John Vernou Bouvier III, was a wealthy Wall Street stockbroker whose family had come from France in the early 1800s. Her mother, Janet Norton Lee, was a socialite and accomplished equestrian with Irish heritage. In 1961, she became First Lady of the United States… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary comedian Bob Hope, who died on this day in 2003 at the age of 100. With a career that spanned more than eight decades, Hope conquered almost every entertainment medium, from vaudeville and Broadway to radio, television, and film. Image: Bob Hope / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration He was born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903 in Eltham, London and was the fifth of seven sons born to… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the 129th birthday of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart! Image: Amelia Earhart / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas in the home of her maternal grandfather, Alfred Gideon Otis. Since she was a child, Earhart had a strong sense of adventure. During World War I, she trained as a nurse’s aide in Toronto. On December 28, 1920, Earhart took her first plane ride that… Read the full story

Happy birthday to actor Woody Harrelson! Today the star turns 65. Image: Woody Harrelson / LBJ Library photo by Gabriel Cristóver Pérez Harrelson was born Woodrow Tracy Harrelson on July 23, 1961 in Midland, Texas to Diane Oswald and Charles Harrelson. His father was a convicted contract killer and received a life sentence in 1979. He died in prison in 2007. His mother worked as a legal secretary and raised Harrelson and his two brothers alone. In… Read the full story

Image: Emma Lazarus / Library of Congress “Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled Masses yearning to breathe free” – Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus” These are the iconic lines inscribed on a bronze plaque at the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The words were written by American poet Emma Lazarus in 1883 in her sonnet “The New Colossus.” The poem was originally written to help raise funds for the construction of the statue’s pedestal, but… Read the full story

Today we remember actor Robin Williams on what would have been his 75th birthday. Image: Robin Williams / Eva Rinaldi, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Williams was born on July 21, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois to Robert Fitzgerald Williams and Laurie McLaurin. His second great grandfather, Anselm J. McLaurin, served as a senator for Mississippi and later, the state’s 34th governor. Williams described himself as a shy child and didn’t break out of his shell… Read the full story

Today we remember Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, who died on this day in 1937. Known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission, Marconi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the development of wireless technology. Image: Guglielmo Marconi / Smithsonian Institution, Flickr Marconi was born on April 25, 1874 in Bologna, Italy to a wealthy Italian family. His father, Giuseppe Marconi, was an Italian aristocratic landowner, while his mother, Annie… Read the full story

Today we remember actor Donald Sutherland on what would have been his 91st birthday. Image: Donald Sutherland / Frantogian, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Sutherland was born on July 17, 1935 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada to Dorothy Isobel McNichol and Frederick McLea Sutherland. As a young teen, Sutherland worked as a news correspondent for a local radio station. He studied engineering and drama at Victoria University before leaving for England to study drama… Read the full story

Today we celebrate Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen on what would have been his 154th birthday. Image: Roald Amundsen / National Library of Norway, Flickr He was born on July 16, 1872 in Borge, Norway to Jens Amundsen, a successful sea captain, and Hanna Sahlquist. Although he came from a family of ship builders and captains, his mother hoped he would pursue a career in medicine instead. However, after her death in 1893, Amundsen chose to quit school… Read the full story

While your family tree is perfect for illustrating relationships across generations, it isn’t always easy to visualize the geographical journeys behind those lives. Today, we are thrilled to introduce the birth location view, a new enhancement to the family tree fan chart that adds a splash of color to your family history. With this new feature, you can instantly see where your ancestors were born, mapping out your family’s global migration and heritage at a… Read the full story

Today marks the 420th anniversary of the birth of Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Image: Rembrandt van Rijn / Wikimedia Commons The 17th century painter was born on July 15, 1606 in what is today the Netherlands. The ninth child born to Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn and Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuijtbrouck, Rembrandt showed an early talent for the arts. He trained as an artist under two masters before beginning to practice as a professional portrait… Read the full story

Today we remember folk singer Woody Guthrie, who was born 114 years ago today. Image: Woody Guthrie / Library of Congress He was born Woodrow Wilson Guthrie on July 14, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma. His parents named him after Woodrow Wilson, who had become the Democratic candidate for president just weeks before his birth.  The Great Depression hit his family hard. In 1935, he join the thousands of “Okies” migrating West in search for work…. Read the full story

Happy 84th birthday to Harrison Ford! Image: Harrison Ford / Wikimedia Commons, Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0) He was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois to Christopher Ford and Dorothy Nidelman. His maternal grandparents, Harrison Nidelman and Annie Lifshitz, were Jewish immigrants from Minsk, Belarus. While his paternal grandparents, John Fitzgerald Ford and Florence Niehaus, were of Irish and German ancestry. Ford was working as a carpenter before he finally found success as… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the 170th birthday of inventor Nikola Tesla! Tesla is remembered for his groundbreaking discoveries in the production, transmission, and application of electric power. Image: Nikola Tesla / Library of Congress Tesla was born in what is now Smiljan, Croatia on July 10, 1856. He was one of five children born to Milutin Tesla, an Eastern Orthodox priest, and Đuka Mandić.  In 1884, Tesla came to the United States and began working for Thomas Edison. However, a… Read the full story

Do you have a favorite Tom Hanks movie? Today the beloved actor turns 70! Image: Tom Hanks / Wikimedia Commons Hanks was born Thomas Jeffrey Hanks on July 9, 1956 in Concord, California to Janet Frager, a hospital worker, and Amos Mefford, a cook. In 1979, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. After appearing in low-budget movies and bit parts on television, Hanks landed the lead role in the television comedy Bosom… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Kevin Bacon! Today the actor turns 68. Image: Kevin Bacon / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Kevin Norwood Bacon was born on July 8, 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Edmund Norwood Bacon, a prominent architect, and Ruth Hilda Holmes, a teacher and activist. The youngest of six children, Bacon left home at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career full time. In 1984, Bacon skyrocketed to fame after starring in the box-office… Read the full story

Today we celebrate musician Ringo Starr’s 86th birthday! Image: Ringo Starr / Library of Congress The former Beatle was born Richard Starkey to Elsie Gleave and Richard Starkey in Liverpool, England. He spent some of his childhood in and out of hospitals. After an appendectomy at the age of 6, he contracted peritonitis, which left him living in a children’s hospital for a year while he recovered. A few years later, he contracted tuberculosis and was… Read the full story

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

Trailblazing performer and civil rights activist Lena Horne was born on this day in 1917. Image: Lena Horne / Library of Congress Horne was born on June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of 16, she dropped out of school and began performing at the Cotton Club in Harlem. It was at the infamous club that Horne was first introduced to the jazz community. She made her Broadway debut in the chorus… Read the full story

Today we remember actress Katharine Hepburn, who passed away on this day in 2003 at the age of 96. Image: Katharine Hepburn / Wikimedia Commons Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut. The second of six children, Hepburn grew up in a very progressive household. Her father, Thomas Norval Hepburn, was a successful urologist who sought to educate the public about venereal diseases. Her mother, Katharine Martha Houghton, was the head… Read the full story

On this day in 1892, author Pearl S. Buck was born. In 1938, Buck became the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Image: Pearl Buck / Library of Congress Buck was born Pearl Sydenstricker in Hillsboro, West Virginia on June 26, 1892 to Southern Presbyterian missionaries, Absalom and Caroline Sydenstricker. When Buck was 5 months old, the family moved to China, where she would live for much of her life. In 1931, Buck… Read the full story

Remember reading Nineteen Eighty-Four? On this day in 123 years ago, author George Orwell was born. Orwell is often considered one of the most influential voices of the 20th century. Image: George Orwell / Wikimedia Commons The author was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in Motihari, Bihar, British India. His father, Richard Walmesley Blair, worked in the Opium Department of the Indian Civil Service. At the age of one, his mother took him and his sisters… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Lionel Messi! Today the soccer star turns 39. Image: Lionel Messi / Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok, Wikimedia Commons, public domain Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina to Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini. The third of four children, Messi began playing soccer at an early age. He joined the local soccer club at the age of 4, where he was coached by his… Read the full story

Today we remember British mathematician Alan Turing, who was born on this day in 1912. Considered the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Turing is remembered as one of the most influential minds of the 20th century. Image: Alan Turing / Wikimedia Commons Turing was born on June 23, 1912 in London, England to Julius Mathison Turing, and Ethel Sara Stoney. From a young age, Turing was a natural at mathematics. During World War… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Meryl Streep! Today the star turns 77. With a record of 21 Academy Award nominations, Steep is often considered to be one of the greatest actresses in history. Image: Meryl Streep / Wikimedia Commons She was born Mary Louise Streep on June 22, 1949 in Summit, New Jersey to Harry William Streep, Jr., a pharmaceutical executive, and Mary Wolf Wilkinson, an artist. Streep’s father was of German and Swiss ancestry. Her second… Read the full story

Do you remember watching The Three Stooges? On this day in 1897, Moe Howard was born in Brooklyn, New York. Image: The Three Stooges He was born Moses Harry Horwitz to Solomon Horwitz and Jennie Gorovitz and was of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry. The fourth of five brothers, Moe developed an interest in performing early in his life. He got his start as part of the vaudeville act with Ted Healy and His Stooges. Eventually, Moe, along with… Read the full story

On this day in 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger for NASA’s 7th space shuttle mission. Image: Sally Ride / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Ride was born on May 26, 1951 to Dale Burdell Ride and Carol Joyce Anderson in Encino, California. Her path to NASA began when she responded to an advertisement in the Stanford student newspaper for NASA’s Astronaut Group 8. It would be the first… Read the full story

Every genealogist knows the thrill of the hunt, but for Julia Miakota, family history became an unexpected lifeline and a global adventure. Originally from the city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, Julia and her husband traveled to the Philippines in 2020 to escape the freezing winter for what was supposed to be a brief 3-5 month stay. However, when pandemic border closures went into effect that March, their short tropical getaway turned into a permanent residency… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Barry Manilow! Today the singer-songwriter turns 83. Image: Barry Manilow / Alan Light, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Manilow was born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943 in Brooklyn New York to Harold Pincus and Edna Manilow. His father left the family when he was two and he eventually adopted his mother’s maiden name as his last name. He began his career working as a commercial jingle writer, penning memorable jingles… Read the full story

On June 16, 1829, legendary Apache leader Geronimo was born in the upper Gila River country in what is today New Mexico. Image: Geronimo / Library of Congress He was born to the Bedonkohe band of the Apache and named Goyathlay, meaning “One Who Yawns.” In 1851, a band of Mexican soldiers attacked his camp, killing his mother, his wife, and three small children. From then on, he harbored a deep hatred for Mexican soldiers. During the Apache… Read the full story

Have you found any Norwegian connections? On this day in 1843, Norwegian composer and pianist Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway. Widely considered one of the leading Norwegian composers of the Romantic era, Grieg brought the national folk music of Norway to international audiences. Image: Edvard Grieg / Bergen Public Library, Flickr Grieg was born on June 15, 1843 to Alexander Greig, a merchant and vice-consul in Bergen, and Gesine Judith Hagerup, a music teacher… Read the full story