Profile of the Day

Happy birthday to Gwen Stefani! Today the singer and The Voice coach turns 54. Image: Gwen Stefani / Liton Ali, Wikimedia Commons, cropped (CC BY 2.0) Stefani was born on October 3, 1969 in Fullerton, California. As a teen, she joined her brother, Eric, in forming the band No Doubt. Her brother eventually left the band to pursue a career in animation working on The Simpsons. It wasn’t until the release of their third album in 1995 that the band would… Read the full story

Today we remember Mahatma Gandhi, who was born on this day in 1869. Regarded as “the father of the nation” in India, Gandhi led the country to independence from British rule through nonviolent civil disobedience. His actions would help inspire civil rights movements all across the globe. Image: Mahatma Gandhi / Nationaal Archief, Wikimedia Commons CC0 He was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2, 1869 to a Hindu merchant caste family. He studied law in London and spent 21 years in… Read the full story

Remember reading Don Quixote? Author Miguel de Cervantes is believed to have been born on this day in 1547. Image: Miguel de Cervantes / Wikimedia Commons Although not many details are known about the early years of his life, Cervantes was known to have lived an adventurous one. He enlisted in the Spanish Navy and fought in the Battle of Lepanto, where he was injured after taking three gun shots, two to the chest and one to his… Read the full story

On this day in 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. The accidental find would become one of the most important discoveries in the history of science. Image: Alexander Fleming / Navy Medicine, Flickr Commons Before leaving for a vacation with his family, Fleming left out a stack of unwashed petri dishes containing cultures of bacteria in the sink. On September 28, 1928, Fleming returned to his lab and noticed something unusual. Mold had grown in a petri dish and the staph bacteria… Read the full story

On this day in 1722, American Founding Father Samuel Adams was born in Boston in the British colony of Massachusetts. Image: Samuel Adams / Library of Congress Adams was one of twelve children born to Samuel Adams, Sr. and Mary Fifield and was one of three to live beyond the age of three. After leaving college at Harvard, Adams became a brewer and launched a newspaper before devoting his work to politics. An important political… Read the full story

Today we remember singer and actress Olivia Newton-John on what would have been her 75th birthday. Image: Olivia Newton-John / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Newton-John was born on September 26, 1948 in Cambridge, England to Brinley “Bryn” Newton-John and Irene Helene Born. During World War II, her father was an MI-5 officer assigned to the Enigma codebreaking unit at Bletchley Park. Her maternal grandfather was Max Born, a German Nobel Prize-winning physicist. When she was five… Read the full story

Remember reading The Sound of the Fury? Today we remember author William Faulkner, who was born on this day in 1897. Image: William Faulkner / Library of Congress The author was the first of four sons born to Murry Cuthbert Falkner and Maud Butler. Born in Albany, Mississippi, Faulkner’s experiences growing up in the South greatly influenced his writings. He was named after his great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, and grew up hearing stories about the “Old Colonel,” who was a successful… Read the full story

English physicist Michael Faraday was born on September 22, 1791 in Newington, Surrey. Considered one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century, Faraday’s groundbreaking discoveries in electromagnetism was crucial to understanding how electricity can be used in technology. Faraday was the son of James Faraday, a blacksmith, and Margaret Hastwell, a former servant. His father was often ill and was incapable of maintaining steady work. As a result, the family lived in poverty and often had… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Bill Murray! Today the legendary comedian turns 73. Image: Bill Murray / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Murray was born on September 21, 1950 in Evanston, Illinois to Lucille Collins, a mailroom clerk, and Edward Joseph Murray, II, a lumbar salesman. One of nine children, Murray was a bit of a troublemaker growing up. He got his start in comedy after joining his older brother at Chicago’s Second City, an… Read the full story

On this day 145 years ago, author Upton Sinclair was born. A prolific writer, Sinclair wrote over 100 books and other works across various genres throughout his life. His is perhaps best remembered for his famous novel, The Jungle, which exposed the horrific conditions of the meatpacking industry. Image: Upton Sinclair / Library of Congress Sinclair was born on September 20, 1878 in Baltimore, Maryland. Although he grew up in poverty, he often spent time with his maternal… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Batman on TV? On this day in 1928, actor Adam West was born. Image: Adam West / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Although he was known professionally as “Adam West,” he was actually born William West Anderson on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington. His father, Otto West Anderson, worked as a farmer, and his mother, Audrey Volenne Speer, was an opera singer and concert pianist. After serving in the… Read the full story

Do you have Swedish roots? On this day in 1905, Swedish actress Greta Garbo was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Image: Greta Garbo / Library of Congress She was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson to Anna Lovisa Karlsson and Karl Alfred Gustafsson. She grew up in poverty and daydreamed about becoming an actor from an early age. At 13, she dropped out of school to care for her sick father, who died in 1920. After getting her… Read the full story

What’s your favorite Agatha Christie novel? On this day in 1890, the crime novelist was born in Torquay, England. Image: Agatha Christie / Nationaal Archief, CC0 She was born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller to a wealthy upper-middle class family. From a young age, Christie was an avid reader with a vivid imagination. During World War I, Christie joined the war effort as a volunteer for the Voluntary Aid Detachment and worked as a nurse to tend wounded soldiers… Read the full story

On this day in 1901, William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, died eight days after he was shot by an anarchist. Immediately after his death, Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th President. Image: William McKinley / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 McKinley was born on January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio to William McKinley, Sr. and Nancy Allison. At the outbreak of the Civil War, McKinley joined the Union… Read the full story

“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.” – Roald Dahl, Matilda Image: Roald Dahl / Library of Congress On this day in 1916, beloved author Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Hesselberg. Dahl was named after famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who became the first person to reach the South Pole only a few years earlier. During World War II, Dahl served in… Read the full story

Who are the athletes in your family tree? On this day in 1913, Olympic champion Jesse Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama. He made history at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany when he went home with four gold medals and single handedly defeated Adolf Hitler’s ideas of Aryan supremacy. Image: Jesse Owens / Library of Congress James Cleveland Owens was the youngest of ten children born to Henry Cleveland Owens, a sharecropper, and Mary Emma… Read the full story

Have you read “The Gift of the Magi”? On this day in 1862, author O. Henry was born. His comedic and ironic stories, often with surprised endings, made Henry one of the most popular short story writers of his time. Image: O. Henry / Wikimedia Commons He was born William Sidney Porter on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Before he began his career as a writer, Porter held a variety of jobs. At 15, he began… Read the full story

It’s Star Trek Day! On September 8, 1966, the iconic science fiction series Star Trek premiered its first episode. In honor of Star Trek Day, we’re highlighting everyone’s favorite Vulcan, Leonard Nimoy. Image: Leonard Nimoy / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Over 50 years ago, Gene Roddenberry introduced his vision of future exploration and discovery in Star Trek. Cast as the leader of the Starship Enterprise was William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard… Read the full story

Have you found your connection to the Tudors? On this day in 1533, Elizabeth I of England was born in Greenwich Palace. Image: Elizabeth I of England / Wikimedia Commons Elizabeth was the second child of Henry VIII of England and the daughter of Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. She was only 2 years old when her mother was executed by beheading. Just eleven days after her mother’s death, her father married Jane Seymour, who gave birth… Read the full story

On this day in 1860, social activist Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois. A leader in social reform, women’s suffrage and world peace, Addams was the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. Image: Jane Addams / Library of Congress Addams was the youngest of eight children born to a prominent Illinois family. Her father, John Addams, was a prosperous businessman and served as a state senator. He was a founding member… Read the full story

Who are the black sheep in your family? On this day in 1847, American outlaw Jesse James was born in Kearny, Missouri. Image: Jesse James / Library of Congress Jesse Woodson James was the third of four children born to Robert James, a Baptist minister, and Zerelda Elizabeth Cole. When Jesse was 3 years old, his father abandoned his family and traveled to the gold fields of California. During the Civil War, Jesse and his older brother, Frank,… Read the full story

French monarch Louis XIV died on this day in 1715, just 4 days before his 77th birthday. Image: Louis XIV / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, CC0 When he was born on September 5, 1638 in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Louis’s parents had already been married for 23 years. His mother had experienced 4 stillbirths throughout the marriage, and so, when Louis was born, his birth was seen as a miracle and gift from God. He… Read the full story

On this day in 1880, Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was born. She reigned as Queen of the Netherlands for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Image: Wilhelmina of the Netherlands / Library of Congress Wilhelmina was born on August 31, 1880 in Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. She was the only child of King William III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. At the time of her birth,… Read the full story

On this day in 1797, English novelist Mary Shelley was born. Today, Shelley is best remembered as the author of the Gothic novel Frankenstein, which is often considered to be one of the earliest examples of science fiction. Image: Mary Shelley / Wikimedia Commons Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin on August 30, 1797 in London, England to William Godwin, a radical political philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, a philosopher and feminist. Her mother died just eleven days after her birth of childbed… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary film star Ingrid Bergman, who was born on this day in 1915. She passed on her 67th birthday in 1982. Image: Ingrid Bergman / Wikimedia Commons Bergman was born on August 29, 1915 in Stockholm, Sweden. After losing both her parents while she was young, Bergman went to live with her aunt and uncle. At the age of 17, she earned a scholarship to the Royal Dramatic Theatre School, but left after a… Read the full story

Do you have German ancestry? On this day in 1749, German writer, poet and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goeth was born in Frankfurt, then an Imperial Free City of the Holy Roman Empire. Image: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe / Library of Congress A literary celebrity by the age of 25, Goethe’s works are considered the beginning of the Sturm und Drang movement in German Romantic literature. His is perhaps best remembered for his two-part poetic drama Faust, which… Read the full story

Do you have family ties to Dutch royalty? On this day in 1772, William I of the Netherlands, the first King of the Netherlands, was born. Image: William I of the Netherlands / Wikimedia Commons He was the son of William V, Prince of Orange of the Dutch Republic, and Wilhelmina of Prussia. In 1791, he married his first cousin, Wilhelmina, who was the daughter of King Frederik William II of Prussia. After the French… Read the full story

French composer Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. Known as the first impressionist composer, Debussy is often regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Image: Bergen Public Library Norway, Flickr Debussy was the eldest of five children born to Manuel-Achille Debussy and Victorine Manoury. His father ran a china shop and his mother worked as a seamstress. As a young child, Debussy began taking piano classes and… Read the full story

On this day in 1765, William IV of the United Kingdom was born. The third son of George III, William became king after the death of his elder brother George IV. Image: William IV / Wikimedia Commons William was born at Buckingham Palace on August 21, 1765. As the third son born to King George III and Queen Charlotte, William was never expected to inherit the crown. He joined the Royal Navy at the age… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Robert Redford! Today the actor turns 87. Image: Robert Redford / San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive, Flickr Charles Robert Redford, Jr. was born on August 18, 1936 in Santa Monica, California to Charles Robert Redford, Sr. and Martha Hart. Redford began his career on the stage and television before launching to stardom in the Paul Newman film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Since then, he has starred in many blockbuster… Read the full story

American frontiersman and folk hero Davy Crockett was born on this day in 1786. During his lifetime and even after his death, many of his adventures and exploits were immortalized in larger-than-life stories and almanacs, making him one of the most well known figures in American history. Image: Davy Crockett / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, CC0 Crockett was born on August 17, 1786 in what is now Greene County, Tennessee. His father, John Crockett, was… Read the full story

Are you a baseball fan? Today we remember legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, who died on this day in 1948. Image: Babe Ruth / Library of Congress He was born George Herman Ruth, Jr. on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore Maryland. He was one of eight children born to Catherine Schamberger and George Herman Ruth, Sr., a saloon owner. As a child, Ruth often found trouble and by the age of 7, his parents sent him… Read the full story

On this day in 1769, French Emperor Napoleon I, also known as Napoleon Bonaparte, was born. Considered one of the greatest military strategists in history, Napoleon established hegemony over most of continental Europe. Image: Napoleon I / Wikimedia Commons Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769 to Carlo Maria Buonaparte and Maria Letizia Romolino in his family’s ancestral home, Casa Buonaparte, in the French town of Ajaccio. He gained military and political prominence during the latter stages… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Steve Martin! Today the actor turns 78. Image: Steve Martin / David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Born in Waco, Texas on August 14, 1945, Martin grew up in Southern California. He landed his firs job as a teen selling guidebooks at Disneyland and later, worked at the Magic Shop in the park where he frequently performed magic tricks for patrons. Martin’s big break came in 1976 when he hosted his first episode… Read the full story

On this day in 1919, American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie died at the age of 83. A titan of the American steel industry in the late 19th century, Carnegie devoted his last years of his life to large-scale philanthropy, directing much of his wealth towards public libraries and education. Image: Andrew Carnegie / Library of Congress Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland in a one room cottage. At the age… 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

On this day in 1866, Arctic explorer Matthew Henson was born. He is best remembered for being the first to reach the North Pole alongside explorer Robert E. Peary in 1909. Image: Matthew Henson / Library of Congress Henson was born on August 8, 1866 on a farm in Charles County, Maryland. His parents were sharecroppers and free people of color before the Civil War. An orphan by the age of 12, Henson joined a merchant… Read the full story

Happy birthday to actress Charlize Theron! Today the star turns 48. 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

On this day in 1770, explorer William Clark was born in Caroline County, Virginia. From 1804 to 1806, Clark helped lead the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition across the country to the Pacific Ocean. Image: William Clark / Wikimedia Commons Clark was the ninth of ten children born to John Clark and Ann Rogers. Five of his older brothers fought during the American Revolution, including his second-oldest brother, George Rogers Clark, who rose to the… 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 Bob Hope, who passed away on this day in 2003 at the age of 100. A comedy legend, Hope entertained audiences all around the world in almost every entertainment medium, from vaudeville and Broadway, to radio, television, and film. Image: Bob Hope / State Library of New South Wales, Flickr He was born Leslie Townse Hope on May 29, 1903 in Eltham, near London, England. He was the fifth of seven sons born… Read the full story

Remember reading Brave New World? On this day in 1894, author Aldous Huxley was born. Image: Aldous Huxley / Archivo Historico Sinaloa, Flickr Huxley was the third son of Leonard Huxley, a writer and school master, and Julia Arnold, founder of Prior’s Field School. The Huxley family was a prominent and well-educated family in Britian. Huxley’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Henry Huxley, was a biologist and specialist in comparative anatomy. He was instrumental in developing scientific education in Britain and became… Read the full story

Did your ancestors fight in the American Revolutionary War? On this day in 1750, American Revolutionary War General Henry Knox was born. Image: Henry Knox / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, CC0 Knox was born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 25, 1750. To help support his family, he left school at the age of 9 and began working at a bookstore. He educated himself by reading the books in the store and eventually was able to open… Read the full story

Today we celebrate the 126th 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

Today we remember singer Tony Bennett, who has passed away at the age of 96. Image: Tony Bennett / Nationaal Archief, CC0 Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926 to John Benedetto and Anna Suraci, who were first cousins. His father was from Calabria, in Southern Italy, and immigrated to the United States in 1906. His mother was born in the U.S.; her family had emigrated from the Calabria region in 1899…. Read the full story

Who are the adventurers in your family tree? On this day in 1919, explorer and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Image: Sir Edmund Hillary / Wikimedia Commons Before gaining fame as a mountaineer, Hillary worked as a beekeeper like his father before him. He joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II, but was badly burned during a boat accident. After the war, he decided to pursue his love… Read the full story

On this day in 1834, French painter and sculptor Edgar Degas was born. Degas is often regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism. Image: Edgar Degas / Wikimedia Commons Degas was born in Paris, France to a moderately wealthy family. His father, Augustine De Gas, was a banker, and his mother, Célestine Musson, was from New Orleans, Louisiana and came from a prominent Creole family. Through his mother, Degas was a first cousin once removed to inventor Norbert… Read the full story

On this day in 1867, American socialite and philanthropist Margaret Brown was born. A survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, Brown was dubbed “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” by historians for her legendary tales of heroism during the disaster. Image: Margaret Brown / Library of Congress She was born Margaret Tobin in Hannibal, Missouri in a two-room cottage to John Tobin and Johanna Collins. In 1886, she married James Joseph “J.J.” Brown, a self-educated entrepreneur… Read the full story

Today we remember comedian Phyllis Diller, who was born on July 17, 1917 in Lima, Ohio. Image: Phyllis Diller / Allan Warren, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) The only daughter of Perry Marcus Driver and Frances Ada Romshe, Diller studied the piano for many years but decided against pursing a career in music. In 1939, she eloped with Sherwood Diller and together, the couple had six children (one died in infancy). She got her start in comedy… Read the full story

Today we remember folk singer Woody Guthrie on what would have been his 111th birthday.  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… Read the full story