Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner was born in Brooklyn, New York to Gebhard and Balbina. I do not have any information as to her early childhood, what I can tell you of course is the rest of the story. She started out working at Coney Island in a song and dance act. He caught the attention of Theodore, but as fate would call it she fell for Harry, Theodore’s brother.Harry and Wilhelmina were married in 1894, they remained childless due to a medical condition that prevented her from bearing children. Sadly, Harry died in 1936. She appeared as herself in a 1938 film Religious Racketeers. The film was rereleased in 2006 on a DVD. She died in 1943 from a heart attack.What you may not know about Wilhelmina “Bess” Houdini, yep she married Harry Houdini she was his stage assistant during his rise to ... 02/28/2019

Walter Owen was born in Hampstead, London back in 1888 to Alfred and Emily. His family was wealthy so he was privately educated at Clifton College. At 16 he left to start working as an apprentice engineer with the Great Northern Railway at Doncaster in Yorkshire. His apprenticeship which was 5 years completing it in 1910. He studied theoretical engineering at King’s College London where he worked for the National Motor Cab Company, his duties included the overseeing of the maintenance of the fleet’s 250 vehicles. During WWI, he advocated the use of aluminum alloy pistons in military applications. After the war, he and his brother Horace Millner founded a company (more on that in a moment). They went on to build vehicles that I wish I could get my hands on one of the originals. I could r... 02/21/2019

Matthew Beard Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California to Matthew Sr., and Johnnie. He father was the founder and pastor of Beloved Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles. At the age of 5 his parents signed him to a five-year contract to play a part in short movies. After he left the series in 1935, he went on to get some minor roles in feature films such as Captain Blood, Jezebel and the Return of Frank James. By the time he finished high school he had retired from acting.For most of his adult life he was in and out of jail due to drug and theft charges. Later he checked himself in a drug rehabilitation facility successfully ending his heroin use. He was able to get some small roles in feature films and on some television shows. He suffered a stroke in 1981, two days after his 56th birt... 02/17/2019

Ann G. Baumgartner was born in Augusta, Georgia back in 1918. Her father was stationed in France so her mother moved the family to New Jersey to be closer to her grandparents. Her true inspiration to know what she wanted to do for the rest of her life came from a visit from someone while she was in grade school.She graduated from Walnut Hill High School in Natick, Massachusetts then Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts graduating in 1940 as a pre-med major. She joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots Program in 1943 stationed in Houston, Texas. In 1944, she was sent to Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio. She was assigned to transport staff officer to other Army bases and deliver planes as required to bases. She flew among many the Douglas A-24, Curtiss A-25, Lockheed B-34, Cessna UC... 02/13/2019

James Baskett was born in Indianapolis, Indiana back in 1904. His dream was to be pharmacist however he abandoned his plans due to financial reasons. He moved to New York City where he found work as an actor. He performed with legends like Louis Armstrong on Broadway and Bill Robinson. He moved to Los Angeles where he had a supporting role in Straight to Heaven (1939). He also appeared in several bit parts until 1944 when he joined the cast of Amos n’ Andy. That lasted until 1948. It wasn’t until he auditioned for a bit part in 1945 that forever changed his life.That performance led to him receiving an Honorary Academy Award.For you see James stared in the 1946 movie Song of the South, he portrayed Uncle Remus singing the song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. For that performance, he was the first b... 02/11/2019

Joseph Barrow was born in LaFayette, Alabama back in 1914 to Munroe and Lillie. Suffering from a speech impediment he spoke very little until the age of six. His father was committed to a mental institution in 1916. His mother married Pat after Monroe died while institutionalized. In 1926, the family moved to Detroit where Joseph attended Bronson Vocational School learning the art of cabinet-making. His mother wanted him to play violin but he had other things in mind. You’ll know what I’m getting at shortly. He made his debut in 1932 at 17. Being barely literate he wrote his name so large he couldn’t fit his last name to the contract.He professional appeared in 69 events winning all but 3 of them. What you may not know about Joseph Louis Barrow is that we all know him as Joe Louis, the ... 02/06/2019

Sarah Babbitt was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts back in 1779 to Seth and Elizabeth.  In 1793, she became a member of the Shakers at the Harvard Shaker community in Massachusetts. In 1813, while watching some men using the two-men whipsaw she had an epiphany.  More on that in a moment, she is credited for the process for the manufacture of false teeth and an improved spinning wheel head.  As a Shaker, she never patented any of her inventions.  She died in Harvard, Massachusetts in 1853.What you may not know about Sarah “Tabitha” Babbitt is that she is credited for inventing the first circular saw used for cutting timber.  While just one researcher has disputed this, it has never (at least what I found on the subject) been proven. Who would have thought a woman invented something, at th... 02/02/2019

Grace Banker was born in Passaic, New Jersey back in 1892. After graduating from Barnard College, she worked for AT&T as a switchboard instructor. She was recruited by the U.S. Army sailing from New Jersey in 1918 with thirty-three other women to Paris. After five months, she was sent to the war front at First Army headquarters in Ligny-en-Barrois.She chose five other women to accompany her working in the trenches wearing gas masks and helmets they performed their duty. Housing for the women at best could be described as harsh. After the Armistice of 1918 she returned to Paris working at the temporary residence of President Woodrow Wilson. She stated she did not find that job as exciting compared to the work at the war front. After working for 20 months at the war front she returned hom... 02/01/2019

Padmavathy Bandopadhyay was born in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh in 1944.  She ended up being her mother’s primary caregiver at the age of 4 due to her mother being bedridden with tuberculosis.  She studied at DTEA in the Humanities.  After graduation, she studied Science at the Delhi University then Pre-medical at Kirori Mal College.  In 1963, she joined the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune.  After graduation, she signed up for the India Armed Forces in 1968.  She retired in 2005.What you may not know about Padmavathy is that she was the first woman to become a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India, the first Indian woman to have conducted scientific research at the North Pole, the first woman Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force and the second woman in the Indian armed forc... 01/31/2019

Harvey Ross was born in Worcester, Massachusetts back in 1921 to Ernest and Christine. While in high school he apprenticed to a local sign painter later attending the Worcester Art Museum School studying in fine arts. He served in both the Asia and Pacific theaters of war during WWII. He was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism during the Battle of Okinawa, He served for 27 years in the National Guard, retiring as a full Colonel in 1973, he then went one to serve 6 years in the Army Reserves retiring again as a Brigadier General in 1979. After the war, he worked for a local advertising firm until he started his own business. In 1963, the State Mutual Life Assurance Company purchased the Guarantee Mutual Company, the merger the employee morale was low so they hired him to come up with an ... 01/25/2019

Robert C. Baker was born in Lansing, New York back in 1921. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell in 1943. He continued his education at the university’s College of Agriculture moving on to Penn State University earning his master’s degree and a doctorate at Purdue University.He traveled the world viewing how people ate and viewed chicken. Spending his entire academic life at Cornell University from 1957-1989. He published some 290 research papers and in 1970 founded the university’s Institute of Food Science and Marketing. In 1997, he was elected a fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists. He is credited for more than 40 poultry, turkey and cold cut innovations. Some call him the “George Washington Carver of poultry”. What you may not know about Robert is that he co-invente... 01/23/2019

James Gilbert was born in Louisville, Kentucky back in 1914 to Jesse and Hattie. After graduating from the Louisville DuPont Manual High School, he attended the University of Louisville majoring in mathematics. It was there that he became interested in astronomy where he helped to form the Louisville Astronomical Society. He graduated with a B.A. in 1935.He went on to study astronomy at Harvard College Observatory earing a M.A. in 1936. In 1942, he was awarded his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard.During WWII, he worked as a civilian optical designer for the U.S. Army. in 1948, he moved to Orinda, California joining the Lick Observatory as a research associate. He died in Bedford, New Hampshire at the young age of 90in 2005.What you may not know about James Gilbert Baker is that he and Ed... 01/21/2019

Polly Baca was born in Weld County, Colorado back in 1941 to Jose and Leda. She can trace her heritage back to the 1600’s. when she was three the family moved to Greeley, Colorado. She graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts. She became involved in the campus politics taking the presidency of the “Young Democrats”. After graduating in 1962, she worked as an editorial assistant for a trade union newspaper in Washington, D.C. with all of her accomplishments this would take me a full week to write about her, so I’m going to cut it short and get straight to the point in a moment. In 1970 she married Miguel, the union produced two children before ending in divorce. What you may not know about Polly Baca-Barragan is that she served as Chair of the Democratic Caucus of... 01/17/2019

Ellene Alice Bailey was born in Pond Fort, Missouri back in 1853 to Robert and Lucinda. While I don’t have a date, she moved to New York where he opened up a manufacturing business. She became a designer of clothing and household goods among other things. She died in 1897 age 43 or 44, as I don’t have the month and day of her birth.What you may not know about her is that she was also an inventor. One of her early inventions was the “Dart” needle patented in 1884, she made the first 60,000 of these by herself. Some other practical things she invented was a holder for rubber overshoes, a manicure case, a photograph album, several clocks and ornamental tables. However, what she is most noted for was her patent of 1882 which was a powder puff, she went on to invent three more variations of ... 01/15/2019

Isaac Babbitt was born in Taunton, Massachusetts back in 1799. I can’t find anything written about him prior to 1824. He was a goldsmith by trade, who also experimented with metal alloys. In 1834, he moved to Boston where he worked at the South Boston Iron Company. While at the South Boston Iron Company he produced the first brass cannon in the United States. In 1839, he invented something else, more on that in a moment. For that invention, he received a gold medal from the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. Later the United States Congress granted him $20,000.00 for his invention.In 1844, and 1847, he patented this material in England and Russia. Now I hope you’re asking yourself what was it that he invented. Well Isaac invented the Babbitt metal a low-friction tin-based me... 01/11/2019

Nan Jeanne Aspinwall was born in in New York back in 1880. Sorry I don’t have any information as to her upbringing, but I’ve seen this before. Somewhere along the line she married, but I don’t have his first name either. She worked as an oriental dancer, horsewoman, sharpshooter and roper. On the side line, she also had a vaudeville act with her husband. She died in 1964 in New York. A book about her life was published in 2007. What you may not know about Nan is that she was the first woman to ride on horseback across North America alone. She left San Francisco in September 1, 1910, arriving in New York on July 8, 1911.Until tomorrow give someone the free gift of a smile 01/06/2019

Vernice Armour was born in Chicago, Illinois back in 1973 to Gaston and Authurine. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee she graduated from Overton High School. She excelled in mathematics and was a member of the National Honor Society. She continued her education at Middle Tennessee State University.She enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and the ROTC program. It was in 1996, that she took time off from college to become a Nashville police officer. She graduated from college in 1997. She moved to Tempe, Arizona where she served as a police officer. In 1998, she was Commissioned a second lieutenant where she was sent to flight school at Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was not only number 1 in her class of 12 but number 1 among the last 200 graduates. She saw combat in Iraq completi... 12/29/2018

Charles Courtice was born in Brooklyn, New York back in 1857.  After high school, he attended Framingham College in England studying medicine at the University of Texas.  After graduation, he worked as a pharmacist in Waco, Texas in a shop called Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store.While working there he noticed customers were tiring of the old traditional flavors of sarsaparilla, lemon and vanilla from the soda fountain.  So, he began trying to revive sales by working on a different combination of flavors.  His discovery was first served on December 1, 1885.  It was introduced to the public in the 1904 World’s Fair Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri as a new kind of soda pop.What you may not know about Charles Courtice Alderton is that combination of 23 ingredients is now known as Dr. Pepp... 12/22/2018

George Alden (as far as I could tell) was born and raised in Templeton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard’s Lawrence Scientific School. After graduation, he taught mechanical engineering for twenty-eight years at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He co-founded the Norton Emery Wheel Company in Worcester, Massachusetts.He was a member of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute from its founding in 1880 and Vice-President from 1891-1893. He died in 1926 at 83.What you may not know about George is that he invented something that is still in use to this day although it has been modified along the way. Now you may be asking yourself what did he invent. Well he invented the first dynamometer, a devise for measuring the power of various machines. As if that was not enough he also invented th... 12/21/2018

William Addis was born back in 1734, near Clerkenwell, London but I’m not certain. I do not have any data as to who his parents were, if he had any schooling and so on. What I do have of course is the rest of the story, so let’s get to it.In 1770, he was in jail for causing a riot in Spitalfields. Sorry, but I don’t have any information as to how long he was in prison. What he did notice while in prison and what he did after he got out changed the world for the better and made him a rich man. After his release, he opened up a business to manufacture his invention. He died in 1808, and left the business to his son. The company stayed in family ownership until 1996.So, do I have your curiosity up? William took a small bone from a meal he had the day before drilled some holes in it obtaine... 12/15/2018