July 2022

Do you enjoy the artwork of Vincent van Gogh? Today we remember the famous Dutch painter who died on this day in 1890 from a self inflicted gunshot wound. Image: Vincent van Gogh / Wikimedia Common Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 to an upper-middle class family. He was born exactly one year after the stillbirth of his parents’ first son, who was also named Vincent. Van Gogh had a close relationship with his… Read the full story

Today we remember former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on what would have been her 93rd birthday. Image: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis / Library of Congress She was born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on July 28, 1929 in Southhampton, New York to Wall Street stockbroker John Vernou Bouvier III and socialite Janet Norton Lee. Before marrying John F. Kennedy, she worked as an inquiring photographer at the Washington Times-Herald. The couple was first introduced by a mutual friend, journalist… Read the full story

Do you remember watching Bob Hope onscreen? The comedian died on this day in 2003 at the age of 100. Image: Bob Hope / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration He was born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903 in Eltham, London. He was the fifth of seven sons born to William Henry Hope, a stonemason, and Avis Townes, an amateur opera singer and cleaner. In 1908, the family emigrated to the United States on… Read the full story

On this day in 1849, American poet and activist Emma Lazarus was born. Lazarus is best remembered for the sonnet “The New Colossus,” and today, her iconic words, “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled Masses yearning to breath free,” can still be found inscribed on a bronze plaque at the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Image: Emma Lazarus / Wikimedia Commons Lazarus was born on July 22, 1849 in New York City, New York… Read the full story

Remember reading A Farewell to Arms? On this day in 1899, author Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. Image: Ernest Hemingway / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration During World War I, Hemingway enlisted with the Red Cross to become an ambulance driver in Italy. On July 8, 1918, he was seriously wounded by mortar fire and despite his injuries, Hemingway assisted Italian soldiers to safety. He would receive the Italian Silver Medal of Bravery… Read the full story

Today we remember Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, who died on this day in 1937. Known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission, Marconi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the development of wireless technology. Image: Smithsonian Institution Marconi was born on April 25, 1874 in Bologna, Italy to a wealthy Italian family. His father, Giuseppe Marconi, was an Italian aristocratic landowner, while his mother, Annie Jameson, was the granddaughter… Read the full story

On July 19, 1834, painter and sculptor Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France. Image: Edgar Degas / Wikimedia Commons At the beginning of his career, Degas aspired to become a history painter, which required rigorous academic training. However, he later changed course and turned to capturing moments of modern life. Although he is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism, Degas rejected the term and preferred to be called a realist. His highly… Read the full story

Today we remember legendary astronaut John Glenn on what would have been his 101st birthday. Image: John Glenn / NASA John Herschel Glenn, Jr. was born on July 18, 1921 to John Herschel Glenn, Sr. and Clara Sproat in Cambridge, Ohio. In 1943, Glenn married his high school sweetheart, Anna Castor. The couple had met when they were just toddlers and remained married for 73 years until his death. An original member of the Mercury… Read the full story

Do you have Dutch ancestry? Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn was born on this day in 1606 in Leiden in the Dutch Republic, now known as the Netherlands. Image: Rembrandt van Rijn / Wikimedia Commons The ninth child born to Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn and Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuytbrouck, Rembrandt was put through school in preparation for a career in the government or ministry. However, by the age of 15, he abandoned his studies to pursue… Read the full story

On this day in 1912, American folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma. Image: Woody Guthrie / Library of Congress Guthrie was named after Woodrow Wilson, who was then the Democratic candidate for President. He faced family tragedies early in his life, including the death of his sister in a fire. His mother, suffering from Huntington’s disease, was also later institutionalized. By the age of 14, Guthrie was left to fend for… Read the full story

Happy 80th birthday to Harrison Ford! Image: Harrison Ford / Wikimedia Commons, Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0) He was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois to Christopher Ford and Dorothy Nidelman. His maternal grandparents, Harrison Nidelman and Annie Lifshitz, were Jewish immigrants from Minsk, Belarus. While his paternal grandparents, John Fitzgerald Ford and Florence Niehaus, were of Irish and German ancestry. Ford was working as a carpenter before he finally found success as… Read the full story

Today marks writer Henry David Thoreau’s 205th birthday! Image: Henry David Thoreau / Wikimedia Commons He was born David Henry Thoreau on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts to John Thoreau, a pencil maker, and Cynthia Dunbar. His maternal grandfather, Asa Dunbar, had led Harvard’s 1766 “Butter Rebellion,” the first recorded student protest in the colonies. Thoreau was a leading transcendentalist and naturalist and often wrote about nature and the environment. He is best remembered for… Read the full story

Today marks the 255th birthday of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States. Image: John Quincy Adams / Wikimedia Commons Adams was born on July 11, 1767 in Braintree, Massachusetts to John and Abigail Adams. He was named after his mother’s maternal grandfather, Colonel John Quincy. The city of Quincy, Massachusetts was named after the Colonel. As a young boy, Adams witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill from the top of Penn’s Hill above… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Kevin Bacon! Today the actor turns 64. Image: Kevin Bacon / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Kevin Norwood Bacon was born on July 8, 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Edmund Norwood Bacon, a prominent architect, and Ruth Hilda Holmes, a teacher and activist. The youngest of six children, Bacon left home at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career full time. In 1984, Bacon skyrocketed to fame after starring in the box-office… Read the full story

Today we celebrate musician Ringo Starr’s 82nd birthday! Image: Ringo Starr / Library of Congress The former Beatle was born Richard Starkey to Elsie Gleave and Richard Starkey in Liverpool, England. He spent some of his childhood in and out of hospitals. After an appendectomy at the age of 6, he contracted peritonitis, which left him living in a children’s hospital for a year while he recovered. A few years later, he contracted tuberculosis and was… Read the full story

Today we remember artist Frida Kahlo, who was born on this day 115 years ago. Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyoacán, a village outside of Mexico City, Mexico. Her father, Guillermo Kahlo, was a photographer born in Germany and immigrated to Mexico in 1891. At the age of 6, Kahlo contracted polio, which left her right leg shorter than her left. Kahlo first began painting after she was… Read the full story

Today we remember Diana, Princess of Wales, on what would have been her 61st birthday. Image: Diana, Princess of Wales / Wikimedia Commons She was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961 in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the fourth of five children born to Edward John Spencer, and his first wife, Frances Ruth Roche. Her parents divorced when she was a child and her father received custody of the children. After her father… Read the full story