October 2019

Have you seen any old photos with ghostly images? Chances are you may be looking at an old spirit photograph. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spirit photography became incredibly popular. Many people came to believe that spirit photographers could capture the image of a deceased loved one in a photograph. Check out these 7 facts about the history of spirit photography: Preus Museum, Flickr 1. Spirit photography was discovered by accident by William H. Mumler… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Henry Winkler! Today the actor turns 74. Image: Henry Winkler / Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Wikimedia Commons (OGL v1.0) Born on October 30, 1945 in Manhattan, New York, Winkler is the son of Ilse Anna Maria and Harry Irving Winkler, a lumbar company president. His parents were Jewish and emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1939 on the eve of World War II. Winkler discovered a love for performing at an early age. A… Read the full story

On this day in 1838, American school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was born. Taylor is remembered for her death-defying stunt on her 63rd birthday when she became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Image: Annie Edson Taylor / Library of Congress Taylor was born in Auburn, New York and was one of eight children. Before marrying at the age of 17, she studied to become a school teacher. After her husband’s death,… Read the full story

Do you remember watching The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson? Today we remember legendary talk show host Johnny Carson on what would have been his 94th birthday. Image: Johnny Carson / State Library and Archives of Florida, Flickr Carson was born on October 23, 1925 in Corning, Iowa to Homer Lloyd “Kit” Carson and Ruth Hook. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy and served as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages. Carson took… Read the full story

On this day in 1931, prolific inventor Thomas Edison died at the age of 84. At the time of his death, Edison held over 1,000 patents and saw many of his inventions make a significant impact on the world. Image: Thomas Edison / Library of Congress Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the seventh child of Samuel Ogden Edison, Jr. and Nancy Matthews Elliott. At 16, he… Read the full story

MyHeritage’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Yaniv Erlich, recently gave a talk at TEDMED to share what he and his team have discovered analyzing data from Geni’s World Family Tree as well as other exciting developments in the world of biomedical research and genealogy. In his talk, Dr. Erlich explains the fascinating patterns that have emerged from his work, including new insights into the last couple of centuries of marriage and migration in Europe and North America, and the… Read the full story

On this day in 1861, Norwegian explorer, scientist, and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen was born. In 1922, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work helping displaced refugees after World War I. Image: Fridtjof Nansen / National Library of Norway Nansen was born on October 10, 1861 in Oslo, Norway to Baldur Fridtjof Nansen and Adelaide Johanne Thekla Isidore Bølling Wedel-Jarlsberg. His mother was the niece of Norwegian statesman Herman Wedel Jarlsberg, who had an… Read the full story

October is finally here and that means Family History Month is once again upon us. In celebration of Family History Month, we’re giving away a free 1-Year subscription of Geni Pro! This Family History Month you can take your genealogy research on Geni to the next level with a chance to win a Geni Pro subscription. How to enter To enter our giveaway, simply answer the following question: If you could go back in time, which ancestor would you visit… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Jimmy Carter! Today the former President of the United States turns 95, making him the first president to reach that milestone. Image: Jimmy Carter / Photo by Lauren Gerson, LBJ Presidential Library Carter was born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia to Bessie Lilian Gordie, a nurse, and James Earl Carter, Sr., a peanut farmer and businessman. In 1977, Carter was sworn in as the 39th President of the United States. Carter’s… Read the full story