Happy birthday to Kelly Clarkson! Today the singer turns 42. Image: Kelly Clarkson / NPS, Marcey Frutchey, Wikimedia Commons Clarkson was born on April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas to Jeanne Ann Rose, a teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer. The youngest of three children, Clarkson’s parents divorced when she was 6. Her third great grandfather, Isaiah R. Rose, served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During the war, he was captured and held at Andersonville Prison, a Confederate prison. Although he was able to escape, Rose suffered a ..read more

On April 23, 1928, star Shirley Temple was born. Image: Shirley Temple / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0 Temple was born in Santa Monica, California to Gertrude Temple, a homemaker, and George Temple, a banker. She began taking dancing lessons at the age of 3 and was soon spotted by a casting director for Baby Burlesks, a series of comedy shorts satirizing recent films with preschool-aged children starring in every role. She soon was landing starring roles in larger films, but it wasn’t until the release of her 1934 film Bright Eyes that she found international fame. Th ..read more

Happy birthday to Jack Nicholson! Today the actor turns 87. Image: Jack Nicholson / Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937 in Neptune, New Jersey. For the first 37 years of his life, Nicholson believed his parents were John Nicholson and Ethel Rhoads. In 1974, a Times reporter researching a cover story on Nicholson discovered that the person Nicholson believed to be his older sister June was in fact his biological mother. Only 17 years old and unmarried at the time of his birth, June’s parents agreed to raise Nicholson as their own. By the time Ni ..read more

On this day in 1882, Charles Darwin died at his home, the Down House, in Kent at the age of 73. Considered to be one of the most influential scientific minds in history, Darwin’s work transformed the world’s understanding of nature. Image: Charles Darwin / Library of Congress Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in his family home, The Mount, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The fifth of six children, Darwin came from a line of physicians and scientists. His father, Robert Darwin, was a doctor, while his paternal grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a physician, naturalist, and ..read more

On this day in 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes set out on horseback to warn the American colonies of approaching British troops. Revere’s role in the famous ride would later be immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride.” Image: Paul Revere’s ride / U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Late in the night on April 18, British troops began marching towards Lexington and Concord to capture Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Taking separate routes, Revere and Dawes immediately set out on horseback to warn them and al ..read more

Do you enjoy baseball? On this day in 1820, Alexander Cartwright, the “Father of Modern Baseball,” was born in New York City, New York.  Image: Alexander Cartwright / Hawaii State Archives, Wikimedia Commons Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr. was the son of Alexander Cartwright, Sr., a merchant sea captain, and Esther Rebecca Burlock. A volunteer firefighter, Cartwright often played bat-and-ball games with other volunteers. He founded the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in New York and is often credited with being the first person to develop a set of rules that would form the basi ..read more

Silent film star Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in London, England. Image: Charlie Chaplin / Library of Congress In a true rags-to-riches story, Chaplin grew up in poverty and became one of the most successful actors in the industry. He endured several hardships early in his life. His father abandoned the family when he was very young, while his mother suffered from a mental illness that kept her in-and-out of the asylum. At the age of seven, he was temporarily sent to a workhouse for destitute children. He took on a wide range of jobs to support himself, but never lost sight of h ..read more

April 15 marks the anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Every year the public’s imagination is captured by the infamous ship along with its harrowing stories of survival and loss. Amongst one of the crew was stewardess Violet Jessop, who would experience more than one maritime disaster in her lifetime. She remarkably survived not only the sinking of the Titanic, but also a second disaster at sea on the HMHS Britannic only a few years later. Image: Violet Jessop / Wikimedia Commons Jessop was born on October 2, 1887 in Argentina to Irish immigrants William Jessop and Katherine Kelly ..read more

On this day in 1452, Renaissance Man Leonardo da Vinci was born in Vinci in the Republic of Florence. Image: Leonardo da Vinci / Library of Congress A gifted and extremely talented individual, da Vinci’s genius ranged from science, arts, mathematics, engineering, astronomy, architecture, and much more. Some of his greatest artistic masterpieces include the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian Man. A brilliant inventor and engineer, da Vinci designed and illustrated concepts well before his time, from flying machines to concentrated solar power. Da Vinci died on May 2, 1519 at the age ..read more

On this day in 1577, Christian IV of Denmark was born.  Image: Christian IV of Denmark / Wikimedia Commons Christian IV was born on April 12, 1577 at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark to King Frederick II and Sofie of Mecklenburg. He was the third child but eldest son of the couple. Since Denmark was still an elective monarchy at the time, Christian was not automatically heir to the throne. However, when he was 3, his father had him elected Prince-Elect and named successor to the throne. When his father died in 1588, Christian succeed to the throne at nearly 11 years old. Hi ..read more