June 2014

Check out these articles from around the web! Image: The 7 Deadliest Fashion Trends of All Time / io9.com The Genealogy Sphere Geni.com Relaxes Privacy Rules – A Good Thing (Genea-Musings Blog) – Geneablogger Randy Seaver gives his favorable opinion about Geni’s upcoming privacy changes The 7 Deadliest Fashion Trends of All Time (io9.com) – These dangerous fashion trends of our ancestors may have had some deadly consequences The Advantages of Working with a One… Read the full story

Seventy-eight years ago today, Margaret Mitchell published her beloved novel Gone with the Wind. The book was an instant hit, topping the American fiction bestseller list in its first two years of publication. Only a year after publishing her first novel, Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Her story continued to thrive when it was adapted into a film in 1939. The movie, starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, would prove to be a… Read the full story

On June 26, 1844, President John Tyler became the first president to marry while in office. At the age of 54, he married for the second time to 24-year-old Julia Gardiner. His first wife, with whom he had 8 children, died of a stroke two years earlier. The couple’s road to marriage began with an unfortunate tragedy and narrow escape. Julia, her sister and her father had joined a presidential excursion on the new steam… Read the full story

Today we remember Michael Jackson, who died on this day in 2009 at the age of 50. Even though five years have passed since his death, the King of Pop’s legacy continues to remain very much alive. Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. At the age of 5, he began performing with is older brothers as a member of The Jackson 5. In 1971, he embarked on his solo career and… Read the full story

We’d like to inform you of some important upcoming changes to Geni’s privacy rules. These changes are intended to enhance the privacy of profiles you want kept private, while at the same time move Geni closer to the widely-accepted genealogical practice of collaborating by sharing information about deceased persons. Changes to private profiles The privacy of private profiles will be increased. Private profiles will now display less information to non-family members: The name will be… Read the full story

On June 24, 1509, Henry VIII was crowned the king of England at the age of 17. Shortly before his coronation, Henry married Catherine of Aragon, his older brother’s widow, in a private ceremony at Greenwich Church. Henry ruled over England for 38 years, bringing significant changes to the English Constitution and the establishment of the Church of England as a separate entity from the Roman Catholic Church. Despite the historical significance of many of… Read the full story

Kickstart your week with this interesting articles from around the web! Image: Lost First World War bracelet returned to Arthur Erickson’s family / CBC The Genealogy Sphere 10 Dangerous Ways to Amuse Yourself from an 1820 Book (Mental Floss) – How times have changed! This 1820 book lists some crazy and very dangerous ways to amuse yourself in your spare time. Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes (BBC News) – For 75 years Finland’s… Read the full story

Today Spain has a new king. Felipe VI was officially sworn in as the new king of Spain at the Spanish parliament Thursday morning, following the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos. Felipe was born in Madrid, Spain on January 30, 1968. Like several members of his family, Felipe was an Olympic athlete. He competed as a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team in 1992. In 2004, he married former CNN journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano…. Read the full story

On this day in 1885, the Statue of Liberty, America’s iconic symbol of freedom and independence, arrived in New York Harbor in Manhattan, New York after a long voyage across the Atlantic. Over two hundred thousand people lined the docks and boarded hundreds of boats to welcome the French steamer Isère and catch a glimpse of the copper and iron statue. The statue was shipped disassembled in over 300 individual pieces and packed in over 200… Read the full story

On June 17, 1579, during his attempt to circumnavigate the globe, English privateer Sir Francis Drake landed of the coast on what is today California and claimed it for England. Named “Nova Albion” by Drake, the land was one of the earliest English territorial claims in the New World. In 1581, he was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth I. The precise location of Nova Albion was carefully guarded to keep it a secret from… Read the full story

We hope everyone had a great Father’s Day weekend! Here’s a few articles to kickstart your week. Image: Returned photos reveal a father never known, 50-year-old promise kept / Stripes.com The Genealogy Sphere The world’s largest family reunion…we’re all invited! (TED) – Check out author AJ Jacobs’s entertaining TED talk about the Global Family Reunion Eight decades in the wrong grave: Mac map collection helps solve family mystery (TheSpec.com) – A man solves a family… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho? On June 16, 1960, the classic horror film made its premiere in New York City. Starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, the film is considered one of Hitchcock’s best and has become one of the most recognizable films in cinema history. With surprising plot twists and carefully framed scenes, the film broke from traditional conventions of movie making to terrify audiences for years to come. Did Hitchcock’s classic… Read the full story

This Sunday, June 15, the U.S. celebrates Father’s Day in honor of fathers, grandfathers and other paternal figures in our lives. Throughout the country, families take advantage of the approaching summer weather by celebrating with outdoor activities and barbecues. Inspired by Mother’s Day, the popular holiday to honor motherhood, Father’s Day was celebrated for decades before officially being recognized as a federal holiday. In 1910 Spokane, Washington, Sonora Smart Dodd sought to honor her father… Read the full story

Are you a fan of Westerns? Today we remember John Wayne, who died on June 11, 1979 at the age of 72. One of the top box office draws for three decades, Wayne continues to endure as one of America’s greatest cultural icons. He was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa on May 26, 1907. His middle name was soon changed to Mitchell when his parents decided to name their next son Robert. The… Read the full story

We had a great time at the 45th annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California this weekend. Each year, we can always count on Jamboree to be an enjoyable experience. We were thrilled to see old friends, meet users and introduce some first timers to Geni’s world of collaborative genealogy. Here’s a picture of the MyHeritage/Geni booth before the expo hall was opened. On Friday, we were joined by Geni Curator Randy Schoenberg. He… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Johnny Depp! Today the Pirates of the Caribbean star tuns 51. He was born John Christopher Depp II in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1963 to parents John and Betty Sue Depp. Johnny got his big break on the television series 21 Jump Street and since then, he’s shaped his highly successful career with numerous challenging and versatile roles. Some of his most memorable films include Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hallow and the box office smashing Pirates of the… Read the full story

Seventy years ago, thousands of Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy in an offensive that would help lead to the defeat of the Third Reich and the end of World War II in Europe. One brave soldier present that day was Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the only general on D-Day to land by sea with the first wave of troops with the aid of a cane and… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Mark Wahlberg! Today the Academy Award nominee turns 43. He was born Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg in Dorchester, Massachusetts and is the youngest of nine children. His first experience with fame came when his older brother Donnie found success as a member of the boyband New Kids on the Block. Soon he began recording music as Marky Mark, headlining the group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Mark successfully transformed his career from… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Angelina Jolie! Today the award winning star turns 39. She’s currently staring in Maleficent, a re-imagining of Disney’s classic Sleeping Beauty villain. Did you know that her daughter Vivienne plays a young Aurora in the movie? Many of the young children on set were so scared of Angelina’s portrayal of Maleficent that they were unable to perform the scene. Because of her physical resemblance to the character, and being the only child not afraid of… Read the full story

We’re excited to attend the 45th annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree taking place this week from June 6 – 8 in Burbank, California! The theme to this year’s Jamboree is Golden Memories: Discovering Your Family History. And this year’s heritage focus will be on European ancestors. If you’re planning to attend, come see the MyHeritage and Geni teams at booth #308. We love meeting users, so be sure to stop by and say hi! MyHeritage… Read the full story

On June 3, 1937, the duke of Windsor married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé in France. Only a few months earlier, the Duke abdicated the British throne after news of the couple’s engagement threatened to cause a constitutional crisis early in his reign. Edward was born in 1896 and was the eldest son of King George V. Upon his father’s death, he succeeded to the throne and proclaimed his intent to marry Wallis. The British… Read the full story

Catch up on some family history news with these articles from around the web! Image: Melting glaciers in northern Italy reveal corpses of WW1 soldiers / The Telegraph The Genealogy Sphere Here’s How People 100 Years Ago Thought We’d Be Living Today (Wired) – Check out these vintage postcards of how people thought we’d be living today D-Day remembered: Striking then-and-now photographs that capture how northern France was devastated 70 years ago – and how… Read the full story

Farewell, Alice. Yesterday, June 1, actress Ann B. Davis died at the age of 88. She was born May 5, 1926 in Schenectady, New York to Marguerite and Cassius Davis. She had an identical twin sister named Harriet. Davis was best known for her role as beloved housekeeper Alice on The Brady Bunch. For five seasons, she donned her trademark light blue maid’s uniform and white apron and entertained television audiences around the country, often scoring… Read the full story