October 2015

Do you believe in the paranormal? During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spirit photography became incredibly popular. Many came to believe that spirit photographers could capture images of a deceased loved one’s ghost or spirit within a photograph. Taken by William H. Mumler, c.1871 / Wikimedia Commons In the aftermath of the American Civil War, many people were still grieving the loss of family and friends. Seeing an opportunity for profit, spiritualists and mediums sprang… Read the full story

Remember watching Happy Days? Today star Henry Winkler turns 70! A graduate of the prestigious Yale School of Drama, the classically trained actor got his big break when he was cast as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the classic sitcom Happy Days. Although the Fonz was originally meant to be a minor character, Winkler immediately became an audience favorite. Did you know initially he was not allowed to wear his signature leather jacket? Executives believed it would make his character appear to… Read the full story

On this day in 1618, explorer Sir Walter Raleigh was executed for treason by King James I. One of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan era and a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, Raleigh was instrumental in the English colonization of the New World. He was granted a royal patent to explore the new lands and invested in expeditions across the Atlantic to establish a colony on Roanoke Island. Today, the famed settlement is known as the… Read the full story

Do you come from a large family? In the past, it was typical to find families with three or more children. However, these days, statistics show couples who have more than two children are on the decline. Image: National Library of Ireland / Flickr Changes in culture, healthcare and technology have led to changes in what is considered the ideal family size. Starting in the 1930s, the U.S. has seen a shift from the ideal number of children… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary film actress Maureen O’Hara, who passed away this weekend. She was born Maureen FitzSimons on August 17, 1920 in Ranelagh, Ireland. Starting from a young age, O’Hara dreamed of becoming an opera singer and stage actress like her mother, but she was convinced by actor Charles Laughton to try her hand at film. Her first major movie was Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn. Her performance in that film led to her casting as the… Read the full story

Here’s a story that may put your work ethic to shame. In an interview with local Buffalo news station WGRZ, New Yorker Felimina Rotundo revealed that at the age of 100, she is still keeping busy working 11 hour days, six days a week at a local laundromat. Image: WGRZ Born in 1915, Felimina was a teen during the Great Depression and remembers it well. At 15, she got her first job working at a shoe factory… Read the full story

Great Scott! Today is Back to the Future Day! The future has finally arrived as Back to the Future fans around the world celebrate the arrival of Marty McFly and Doc Brown on October 21, 2015. In the film, Back to the Future – Part II, Doc, Marty, and his girlfriend Jennifer, leave 1985 behind and travel 30 years into the future in Doc’s DeLorean time machine to help the couple’s future children. Twenty-six years later, the second installment of the Back… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Carrie Fisher! Today the star turns 59. The daughter of actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Fisher seemed destined to follow her parents into show business. In 1977, she skyrocketed to international fame when she was cast as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Despite also becoming a best-selling author and screenwriter, and taking on memorable supporting roles in films such as When Harry Met Sally…, Fisher remains most recognized for her role… Read the full story

Have you used wills as a resource in your family history research? When a person dies, they will often leave their possessions and money to their family and thereby, giving you more clues about other relatives in your family tree. Occasionally, you may come across a few odd requests made by the deceased. Here are some notable, unusual last requests: 1. Harry Houdini Image: Library of Congress In the 1920s, legendary illusionist Harry Houdini spent much… Read the full story

Remember Winnie the Pooh? On this day in 1926, author A.A. Milne published his children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh, a collection of stories following the adventures of the honey-loving teddy bear and his friends. Milne’s real life inspiration for his characters came right from his home. The character Christopher Robin was named after his son, Christopher Robin Milne, and the character Winnie the Pooh was named after his son’s teddy bear. The rest of his son’s stuffed toys were incorporated into Milne’s… Read the full story

As relatives are added to the family tree, we will often enter the usual basic information, such as names, birth and death dates and location, etc. But did you know you can enhance your relatives’ profiles even further by adding life events to their Timelines? The Timeline is a great way to visualize the events that occur throughout a person’s life. For your convenience, the Timeline is automatically populated with information that may have already been added to a profile. This includes information… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Marie Osmond! Today the the singer turns 56. Born Olive Marie Osmond on October 13, 1959 in Ogden, Utah, Marie shares her birthday with her father, George, who was born in 1917. She was the only girl out of nine children. Growing up, her brothers sang and performed on television as the Osmond Brothers. During the 1970s, she followed her brothers into show business and entered the country music scene. Her first single… Read the full story

Today is Columbus Day in the U.S. Established as a federal holiday in 1937, the day commemorates Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World in 1492. Columbus set sail from Spain across the Atlantic with his ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Although not the first to arrive to the American continent, Columbus’ expeditions played a significant role in Spain’s colonization of the New World. Celebration of the holiday has changed over time…. Read the full story

Today we remember music icon John Lennon on what would have been his 75th birthday. As one-fourth of the musical phenomena The Beatles, John rose to worldwide fame and went on to become a vocal anti-war activist and supporter of peace. His song “Imagine” became the best selling single of his solo career. Though he died in 1980 at the age of 40, his legacy continues to endure and inspire new generations. Image: Library of Congress In honor… Read the full story

Have you found your connection to French royalty? On this day in 1757, Charles X was born at the Palace of Versailles. Named Charles Philippe, he was made Count of Artois at birth by his grandfather, King Louis XV. As the youngest son of the Dauphin Louis and his wife, the Dauphine Marie Josèphe, Charles was never expected to inherit the throne. At the outbreak of the French Revolution, he fled France. He returned in 1814 when the… Read the full story

Happy birthday, Matt Damon! Today The Martian star turns 45. He was born Matthew Paige Damon on October 6, 1970 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Kent Damon, a stockbroker, and Nancy Paige, an early childhood education professor. At the age of ten, he met his longtime friend, Ben Affleck. Together, the childhood friends catapulted to Hollywood stardom after co-writing the screenplay for the Academy Award winning film, Good Will Hunting. The duo took home the coveted statue for Best Original Screenplay…. Read the full story

Recently, the story of a woman who became the 11th bride to wear a 120-year-old heirloom wedding dress made headlines. Now a new video created by Mode.com shows how wedding dress fashions have changed over the last 100 years. It’s amazing watching how styles have changed over the last ten decades. Perhaps the video may even help you date some old wedding pictures! Watch the video below: Do these wedding gown fashion trends resemble the wedding dresses in your… Read the full story

October is Family History Month! What better time to introduce your children to your family’s heritage than the month dedicated to it? Take some time to spark your children’s interest in your family’s history and they will love it and appreciate it as they get older. Here are some fun activities to get your budding genealogists active in learning about your family’s roots: Become a Family Detective Image: Anna, Wikimedia Commons Have a little Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew on your hands?… Read the full story

Happy 125th birthday, Groucho Marx! The master comedian was born Julius Henry Marx on October 2, 1890 in New York City, New York. He was the third of five sons born to Samuel “Frenchie” and Minnie Marx. As the family struggled financially, Groucho’s mother sought to guide her sons’ talents into a prosperous career in show business. By the 1920s, the Marx Brothers became one of the biggest comedic acts in the country. Groucho’s signature glasses, bushy… Read the full story