September 2024

Today we remember author Truman Capote, who was born September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Image: Truman Capote / Library of Congress As a child, he was sent to live with relatives in Monroeville, Alabama where he befriended future Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Harper Lee. The pair would continue to remain best friends throughout their lives. Considered one of the most recognizable authors of the 20th century, many of Capote’s works have been adapted for film and television, including… Read the full story

Today we remember acting legend Maggie Smith, who has passed away at the age of 89. Image: Maggie Smith / Mike Lidgley, Flickr CC0, public domain Smith was born on December 28, 1934 in Ilford, Essex, England to Margaret Hutton and Nathaniel Smith, a public heath pathologist. She made her stage debut at the age of 17, taking on the role of Viola in Twelfth Night at the Oxford Playhouse. As her career kicked off,… Read the full story

Remember the story of Johny Appleseed? On this day in 1774, the real Johnny Appleseed was born. Image: Johnny Appleseed / Library of Congress He was born John Chapman on September 26, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. His father, Nathaniel Chapman, fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776, while his father was away at war, his mother died while giving birth to a son, who also passed short time later. As the folk story… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Mark Hamill! Today the Star Wars star turns 73. Image: Mark Hamill / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 Hamill was born on September 25, 1951 in Oakland, California to Virginia and William Thomas Hamill. He made small appearances on television before catapulting to stardom as the star of George Lucas’s film Star Wars. The 1977 film was an instant hit both domestically and internationally and marked the beginning of one of… Read the full story

Do you remember watching The Muppet Show? Today we remember Muppet creator Jim Henson, who was born on this day in 1936. Image: Jim Henson / Library of Congress He was born James Maury Henson on September 24, 1936 in Greenville, Mississippi to Betty Marcella and Paul Ransom Henson, an agronomist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While in college, he began working as a puppeteer for a local television station. It was there that he first… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Bruce Springsteen! Today The Boss turns 75. Image: Bruce Springsteen / Takahiro Kyonno, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey to Doug and Adele Springsteen. He was first inspired to pursue music after watching Elvis Presley’s performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. He skyrocketed to fame in 1975 after releasing his third album, Born to Run. The record sold millions of copies and is… Read the full story

On this day in 1973, top women’s tennis player Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match. King’s triumph on the court not only helped legitimized female professional athletes, but also marked a milestone in women’s equality. Image: Beaver County Times / OldNews.com Once ranked the top women’s tennis player in the country, King won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles over the course of her tennis career and… Read the full story

On this day in 1911, British novelist and poet William Golding was born. Image: William Golding / Wikimedia Commons, Nationaal Archief (CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, cropped) Golding was born on September 19, 1911 to Alec Golding and Mildred Curnoe in his maternal grandmother’s house in Newquay, Cornwall, England. His father worked as a school master and his mother was a suffragette and actively fought for the women’s right to vote. Golding worked as a teacher… Read the full story

On this day in 1905, screen legend Greta Garbo was born. Regarded as one of the top performers of Hollywood’s Gold Age, Garbo was one of the highest paid stars of her time. Image: Greta Garbo / Library of Congress Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson on September 18, 1905 in Stockholm, Sweden. She grew up in poverty and when her father became ill and lost his job, Garbo dropped out of school at 13 to take… Read the full story

Are you a country music fan? On this day in 1923, country music’s first superstar, Hank Williams, was born. Although his career was cut short after his death at the age of 29, Williams is often regraded as one of the most influential singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Image: Hank Williams / Wikimedia Commons Williams was born Hiram King Williams on September 17, 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama to Jessie Lillybelle Skipper and Elonzo Huble… Read the full story

Today we remember Lauren Bacall on what would have been her 100th birthday. Image: Lauren Bacall / Wikimedia Commons Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924 in The Bronx, New York. Her mother, Natalie Weinstein, emigrated from Romania through Ellis Island, while her father, William Perske, was born in New Jersey to Jewish parents. Known for her distinctive voice, Bacall catapulted to stardom while starring opposite Humphrey Bogart in the 1944 film, To Have… Read the full story

Today we remember beloved children’s book author Roald Dahl on what would have been his 108th birthday. Image: Roald Dahl / Library of Congress Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916 in Cardiff, Wales to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Hesselerg. During World War II, Dahl served in the Royal Air Force and became an intelligence officer and wing commander. Dahl rose to fame for his delightful and heartfelt stories and became… Read the full story

On September 12, 1913, Olympic track and field athlete Jesse Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama. Image: Jesse Owens / Library of Congress Owens was the youngest of ten children born to Henry Cleveland Owens, a sharecropper, and Mary Emma Fitzgerald. From a young age, Owens took on work to help his family financially. At the same time, he excelled in track and field in high school and college, winning major track events and setting… Read the full story

Today is the 162nd anniversary of the birth of famous short story writer O.Henry. Image: O. Henry / Wikimedia Commons He was born William Sydney Porter on September 11, 1862 in Asheville, North Carolina. Better known by his pen name, O. Henry, Porter’s witty wordplay and clever twist endings made him one of the most popular American short story writers of his time. Stories such as “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Ransom of… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Colin Firth! Today the actor turns 64. Image: Colin Firth / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) Firth was born on September 10, 1960 in Grayshott, Hampshire, England to Shirley Jean Rolles and David Norman Lewis Firth. Both of his parents were academics and teachers and as a child, he frequently traveled to Nigeria for his parents’ work. Firth himself was not academically inclined and decided to study theater at Drama… Read the full story

Have you read Anna Karenina? On this day in 1828, author Leo Tolstoy was born at his family’s estate in Tula, Russia. Image: Leo Tolstoy / Library of Congress The Tolstoy family was a prominent family of old Russian nobility. He was the fourth child born to Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, a veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812, and Countess Maiya Tolstaya. Tolstoy’s parents died while he was young, and so his relatives helped care… Read the full story

Today we remember French aristocrat and military officer, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, who was born on this day in 1757. Also known simply as Lafayette, the Frenchman was an important figure during the American Revolutionary War and fought alongside the Continental Army against the British. Image: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette / Library of Congress Lafayette was born to a wealthy, aristocratic family in Auvergne, France on September 6, 1757. The Lafayette family had… Read the full story

Image: Louis XIV / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, CC0 On this day in 1638, Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. As soon as he ascended to the throne, Louis XIV took steps to consolidate his power and establish his absolute authority. He would become one of the longest reigning monarchs in European history. During his reign, Louis built the Palace of Versailles, an opulent palace that… Read the full story

Happy birthday to Beyoncé! Today the music superstar turns 43. Image: Beyoncé / Jen Keys, Wikimedia Commons Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Matthew and Celestine “Tina” Knowles. Her first name is a tribute to her mother’s maiden name, Beyoncé. Her maternal grandparents were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles and it is through her mother’s branch of the family that she descends from Joseph Broussard, who led the first group of Acadians to what is today Louisiana. Broussard… Read the full story

Today we remember American poet E.E. Cummings, who passed away on this day in 1962 at the age of 67. A prolific writer, Cummings is often regarded as one of the most important American poets of the 20th century. Image: E.E. Cummings / Library of Congress He was born Edward Estlin Cummings on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His father, Edward Cummings, was a professor and Unitarian minister. From a young age, Cummings began writing… Read the full story