Belle Aurelia Babb was born in Benton Township, Iowa back in 1846 to Miles and Mary.  Her father left for California in 1850, where he was superintendent of the Bay State Mining Company, where he was killed in the collapse of a mining tunnel in 1852.  After her father’s death the family moved to Mount Pleasant, Iowa where the children attended the local schools.In 1862, she attended the Iowa Wesleyan College.  As the men were leaving to fight in the Civil War, universities were admitting women students, then hiring them as teachers.  She graduated as valedictorian in just three years.After graduation, she taught school at Des Moines Conference Seminary in Indianola, Iowa for a year.  She returned to Mount Pleasant to marry her college sweetheart John.  She taught college at Wesleyan fol... 09/23/2021

Jean Bessie Wong was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia back in1919 to Fun and Hone.  She left school at the age of 12 to help support her family.  In 1935, she moved to Toronto and later opened her won grocery store when she was 17.  In 1939, she married Doyle and the couple had 6 children.Jean was the co-owner and Director of the Kwong Chow Restaurant in Toronto for 23 years.  the restaurant was highly successful and popular with both Chinese and Westerners as with many politicians due to its proximity to Toronto’s City Hall.  She died in 2002, she was 82-83.What you may not know about Jean Bessie Lumb is that she was the first Chinese Canadian woman and the first restauranteur to receive the Order of Canada for her community work.  She also had many other firsts for a Chinese Woman, t... 08/05/2021

Alexander Nikolayevich Lodygin was born in Stenshino village, Tambov Governorate, Russian Empire back in 1847.  He studied at the Tambov Cadet School from 1859-65.  After graduation her served in the 71st Belev Regiment.  from 1866-68 he studied at the Moscow Infantry School.  Just after graduation, he retired from the military and found wok at the Tula weapons factory.In 1871, he proposed an autonomous diving apparatus that consist of a steel mask, natural rubber costume, accumulator battery and a special apparatus for electrolysis of water.  The diver was supposed to breathe the oxygen-hydrogen mix obtained by electrolysis of water.  the device is very similar to modern scuba equipment.  He died in Brooklyn, New York in 1923, he was 75.What you may not know about Alexander is that in ... 07/12/2021

Lim Koon Teck was born in Malayan, Singapore back in 1904 to Lim and Tan.  He was educated at St. Andrews School.  He continued he education at the Junior Cambridge in 1930 and Senior Cambridge in 1922.  After graduation he taught at St. Andrews School.  Later he would become the first Old Boy’s representative on the Board of Governors of St. Andrew’s School, Singapore.  He wanted to study architecture; but that was a six-year course so he decided to take up law instead.  In 1924, he left for London, England where he studied at the University College, London.  He graduated with honors, was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1927.  He was called to the Singapore Bar appointed as deputy registrar of the Supreme Court in 1928.  He also took on the added appointment of Sheriff in 1935. H... 06/18/2021

Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir was born in Mussy-la-Ville, Luxembourg back in 1822.  He emigrated to Paris, France in 1838.  He was interested in electroplating which led to several inventions.  He was an engineer at Petiene et City, they supported him in his founding of several companies.  By 1865, he developed a new type of automatic telegraph device that could send information in written form.He was granted French citizenship in 1870 for the assistance he provided during the Franco-Prussian War.  He was awarded the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur in 1881.  He died in 1900, he was 78.What you may not know about Jean is that he was the first person who developed the internal combustion engine in 1858.  Prior deigns were patented as early as 1807, but none were commercially successful... 05/22/2021

Archibald Alec Leach was born in Bristol, England back in 1904 to Elias and Elsie.  His father was an alcoholic and his mother suffered from clinical depression.  When he was 4 he was sent to the Bishop Road Primary School.  When he was 9 his father placed his mother in the Glenside Hospital which was a mental institution.He was 31, when he discovered his mother was still living.  In 1915, he won a scholarship to attend the Fairfield Grammar School.  While he did not excel in academic subjects he excelled in sports.  Where his did find enjoyment was working backstage in Bristol theaters.  In 1918, when he was 14 he was expelled from school.  He became a part of the vaudeville circuit and began touring.  One of those tours was in the United States and he decided to stay in the US not ret... 05/09/2021

David Seth Kotkin was born in Metuchen, New Jersey back in 1956 to Hyman and Rebecca.  He graduated from Metuchen High School in 1974.  During his childhood he attended Camp Harmony, a day camp in nearby Warren, New Jersey.  One of the exercises was to find a guide who’d been kidnapped by Indians. Of course, it was just a game but he was living it.He began practicing magic as a child and was the youngest person admitted to the Society of American Magicians at the age of 12.  By the time he was 16, he was teaching a course in magic at New York University.He enrolled in Fordham University but left after three weeks to play the lead role in the musical The Magic Man, it was the longest-running musical in Chicago’s history.  He had his own TV specials on CBS between 1978-2001. While you may... 03/16/2021

Henry Charles Fleeming Jenkin was born earn Dungeness, Kent, England back in 1833 to Charles and Henrietta.  He studied at Jedburgh, Borders then he attended the Edinburgh Academy.  When his father retired in 1847, the family moved to Frankfurt.  Just a year later the family moved to Paris.Later he attended the University of Genoa.  He graduated from there with a M.A. with first-class honors.  In 1856, he was working at Penn’s engineering work in Greenwich as a draughtsman. The following year he was an engineer at R.S. Newall and Company in Gateshead.  In 1861, he left Newall & Company and entered into a partnership with H.C. Forde.  In 1866, he was appointed as professor of engineering at University College, London.  He died in 1885, he was 52.What you may not know about Henry is that ... 12/12/2020

Katharine Jefferts was born in Pensacola, Florida back in 1954 to Keith and Elaine.  She attended school in New Jersey.  He attended Stanford University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, a Master of Science degree in oceanography and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1983 from the Oregon State University.   Being raised in the Catholic Church, in 1963, her parents took her to the Episcopal Church in New Providence, New Jersey.  In 1979, she married Richard Schori.  In 1994, she earned her Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.  What you may not know about Katharine Schori is that she was the first woman elected as a primate in the Anglican Communion. In 2006, she was elected to servea nine-year term as Presiding Bishop another first for women.She retir... 12/08/2020

Frederick Grinnell was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts back in 1836.  I have no clue as to his parents, or much of anything until he graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1855.  After graduation, he worked as a draftsman, construction engineer and manager for several railroad companies.In 1881, he patented a device that is still in use to this day.  in 1892, he started his own company the General Fire Extinguisher Co., in Providence, R.I.  that company has been sold to several others companies throughout the years. During his lifetime, he secured 40 patents on the improvement of the first automatic sprinkler system by using a glass disc. Almost all of the automatic sprinkler systems bears his name.  the company is owned now by Simplex.Your day is worthwhile when you ... 04/30/2020

Emma Sarah Etine Edwards was born in what I can gather in New York.  Where exactly I could not find out to Richard and Emma back in 1856.  She was an American painter and designer.  In 1890, on her way to visit friends she stopped in Boise, Idaho never to leave. In 1891, she started teaching art classes.  That same year she was invited to a competition by then Governor N.B. Willey.  She won the competition and was awarded $100.00 for her entry.Now, you may be asking yourself what did she design that brought her the windfall?  Well I can tell you, for you see she is the only woman to design a state seal for both of which is used not only as the state seal but also used on the Flag of Idaho.Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gift of a smile today   04/20/2020

Samuel Glenn Fuqua was born in Laddonia, Missouri back in 1899. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1919. After graduation, he served on the destroyer USS Macdonough and the battleship USS Mississippi. From shore duty at San Francisco, California he was the commanding officer of the minesweeper USS Bittern in the Asiatic Fleet from 1937-39. From 1942 he served on the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa being promoted to commander. In 1943, he was assigned to duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba later attending the Naval War College. He retired from service in 1953, retiring to Decatur, Georgia where he died in 1987. What you may not know about Rear Admiral Samuel Glenn Fuqua is that he was aboard the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. When the Japanese attacked he was knocked unconscious by a bomb f... 02/09/2020

John Fowler was born in Melksham, Wiltshire, England back in 1826. When he left school, he worked for a local corn merchant. However, in 1847 he joined an engineering firm in Middlesbrough where he was working with steam locomotives and winding machines. In 1849, on a business trip to Ireland during the potato famine he noticed something that he worked on for the remainder of his short life. He demonstrated his invention at the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1854, and as they say the rest is history. In 1856, he received a patent for his invention. His work took a toll on his health. He was advised to take some time off and he retired to Ackworth, England to recuperate. While on a hunting trip he fell sustaining a compound fracture to his arm. As a result, he developed tetanus... 01/21/2020

Sylvia Olga Fedoruk was born in Canora, Saskatchewan back in 1927 to Theodore and Annie. Her father was a school teacher, she attended the one room schoolhouse in Wroxton. She attended the University of Saskatchewan receiving a Bachelor of Arts in physics and her M.A. in 1951.She was the chief medical physicist at the Saskatoon Cancer Clinic. She also was a professor of oncology and associate member in physics at the University of Saskatchewan. She was a past president of the Canadian Ladies Curling Association. In 1986, she was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame. In 2009, she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.What you may not know about Sylvia is that she was the first woman member of the Atomic Energy Control Board of Canada. She was also involved in the... 12/08/2019

Theodore Thaddeus Ellis was born in St. Louis, Missouri back in 1867 to John and Mary. As a teen, he worked as an apprentice becoming a pressman in 1886. He joined the United States Navy serving three years before being discharged. He worked for the Brockton Enterprise in Massachusetts and the Boston Herald.He saw a need to improve the printing process, he started working on a project, his employer at the time the Worcester Telegram give him the ultimatum, either work or resign. After his resignation he developed several inventions, but the most notable one was the “press blanket”, what we now call offset printing. It is still in use to this day. With his earnings, he bought The Worcester Evening Gazette. With Frank Knox, he bought joint control of the Chicago Daily News. He died in Lon... 11/13/2019

Andrew W. Houston was born in Acton, Massachusetts back in 1983. He graduated from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in the 1990’s. He continued his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduating with a degree in Computer Science. After graduation, he worked for Bit9, a cybersecurity company Accolade and HubSpot.In 2007, he co-founded a small company you may have heard of Dropbox. He owns 24.4 percent of the voting power in Dropbox, his current worth is $2.2 billion. I wonder if he would like to buy some property in NW Arkansas? Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gift of a smile today 10/09/2019

Robert Digges Wimberly Connor was born in Wilson, North Carolina back in 1878 to Henry and Kate. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1899. In 1907, he was placed in charge of the North Carolina Historical Commission. He lobbied the North Carolina General Assembly for a building and funding for what would later become the State Archives of North Carolina. He served as the first state archivist of North Carl=olina from 1907 to 1921.In 1921, he was a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a position he held until 1934. He died in 1950, he was 71.What you may not know about Robert is that in 1934 President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him to head the National Archives of the United States, making him the first American historian, a pos... 09/29/2019

Emily Winifred Dickson was born in Tyone, Ireland back in 1866 to Thomas and Elizabeth. Her mother was sick for most of her childhood so she nursed her for over a year after school. She was educated at the Mrs. Byers’ Ladies Collegiate school in Belfast. At the time women were not allowed to attend Trinity College, Dublin however in 1887 she was accepted to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.By 1891, she had achieved her license with a Bachelor of Medicine with honors. After graduation, she was awarded a travelling scholarship by the Royal University of Ireland spending six months in Vienna and Berlin. She practiced gynecology for the Richmond, Whitworth and Hardwick Hospital in Dublin from 1895 to 1898. She married Robert Martin in 1899, thus ending her practice of medicine until... 09/21/2019

Maria Dalle was born just outside Bologna, Italy back in 1778 to a peasant family. She was raised and educated by one of her uncles (his name is lost to history). She studied medicine at the University of Bologna. In 1800, she published three scientific papers, on anatomy, physiology and midwifery.In 1832, she became Director of the Department of Midwifery at the University of Bologna. She died in 1842, she was 54.What you may not know about Maria Dalle Donne is that she was the first female doctor in Italy and the second woman to become a member of the Ordine dei Benedettini Accademici Pensionati (Order of Retired Academic Benedictines). I know this one is short but that’s all the information I could find about her.Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gi... 08/26/2019

Wallace H. Coulter was born in Little Rock, Arkansas back in 1913. He graduated from high school in McGehee, Arkansas going to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, then onto the Georgia Institute of Technology. From the time, he graduated until he received his U.S. patent #2,656,508 in 1953, I don’t have any information about him.Wallace and his bother incorporated Coulter Corporation in 1958 relocating operations to Hialeah, Florida in 1961. That corporation was bought out by Beckman Instruments, Inc., now known as Beckman Coulter, Inc. He died in 1998.What you may not know about Wallace is that he held 85 patents that first one was for the Coulter principle. That principle is still used to this day, it provides a method for counting and sizing microscopic particles suspended in fl... 08/04/2019