April 2020

Happy birthday to Willie Nelson! Today the music icon turns 87. Image: Willie Nelson / Library of Congress Nelson was born on April 29, 1933 in Abbott, Texas to Ira Doyle Nelson and Myrle Marie Greenhaw. Raised by his grandparents in Arkansas, music was an important part of his upbringing. At the age of 6, his grandfather gifted him his first guitar and by 7, he had written his first song. During the 1960s, Nelson… Read the full story

On this day in 1926, author Harper Lee was born. Today Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is one of the mostly widely read books in the United States. Image: Harper Lee receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush / NARA She was born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama to Amasa Coleman Lee, a lawyer, and Frances Cunningham Finch. The youngest of four children, Lee received… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Barbra Streisand! Today the icon turns 78. Image: Barbra Streisand / Wikimedia Commons She was born on April 24, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York to Diana and Emanuel Streisand. Before reaching her first birthday, Streisand’s father died suddenly of complications from an epileptic seizure. After his death, the family fell into poverty. From a young age, Streisand dreamed of becoming famous and after graduating high school at 16, she immediately began pursuing a… Read the full story

Playwright William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 in Straford-upon-Avon, England. Considered one of the greatest writers of the English language, Shakespeare’s body of work has been translated into every major language. Explore some fascinating facts about the Bard that you may not have known. 1. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Baptism of William Shakespeare / MyHeritage SuperSearch Shakespeare was the third of eight children born to John Shakespeare, an alderman and… Read the full story

Happy 94th birthday to Queen Elizabeth II! The Queen is not only Britain’s longest reigning monarch, but also the longest serving living monarch in the world today. Image: Queen Elizabeth II / NASA, Bill Ingalls She was born on April 21, 1926 during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. Her father was the second son of the King, and thus at the time of her birth, no one would have expected her to one… Read the full story

230 years ago today, Benjamin Franklin died at the age of 84. One of the United States’ most influential Founding Fathers, Franklin was also a renowned polymath. He was not only a notable politician and diplomat, but also an author, inventor, philosopher, and scientist. Image: Benjamin Franklin / Library of Congress Franklin was born on January 6, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts to Josiah Franklin, a candlemaker, and his second wife, Abiah Folger. From his two marriages,… Read the full story

As many of us are self-isolating at home, you may be looking for something to do to help pass the time. Although we may all be at home in isolation, we can still continue to work together as a community on our shared family history. Below we’ve made a list of suggestions to help focus your work and perhaps help provide you with a welcomed distraction to pass the time productively. Review your family tree… Read the full story

Today The Great Gatsby turns 95! Published on April 10, 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is widely considered to be “the Great American Novel.” However, the book’s success was far from instant. The novel debuted to mixed reviews and poor sales. When Fitzgerald died, he believed it to be a failure. Image: F. Scott Fitzgerald / Library of Congress It was not until World War II that The Great Gatsby would experience a huge revival. In 1942, a group of publishing… Read the full story

On this day in 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. Image: Library of Congress During the first year of the war, Lee served as a senior military advisor to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In 1882, he assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia and lead many battlefield victories. However, Lee’s defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg was a crushing blow to the Confederate. The… Read the full story

On this day in 1909, American explorer Robert E. Peary and his assistant, Matthew A. Henson, purportedly became the first men to reach the North Pole. Image: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Born in Cresson, Pennsylvania, Peary joined the United States Navy in 1881 as a civil engineer. It was during his time in the Navy that he resolved to be the first man to reach the North Pole. Peary studied the survival techniques of the… Read the full story

This week actor John Krasinski launched Some Good News, a delightful new YouTube show to bring good news into everyone’s home. The inaugural episode also featured a mini-reunion with his former co-star from The Office, Steve Carell, to celebrate the hit comedy’s 15th anniversary. Since its premier in 2005, the critically acclaimed show has gained a devoted following. Today the beloved sitcom remains as popular as ever, if not more so, with new generations of… Read the full story

Today marks the 215th birthday of the world’s favorite fairy tale author, Hans Christian Andersen. Image: Hans Christian Andersen / Bergen Public Library, Flickr He was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark and was an only child. Although his family did not have much money, Andersen was well educated and attended boarding schools for the privileged, which fueled speculation that he was an illegitimate member of the Danish royal family. However, the rumors… Read the full story