Abraham Greenthal was born in Betsche, Prussia back in 1822. While I can’t find out when it is reported he immigrated to the U.S. at a young age. Shortly after his arrival he turned to crime to support himself.  His home base was the New York City’s Tenth Ward. He led the Sheeny Mob which was a syndicate of Jewish pickpockets.Arrested numerous times he, not convicted until he was arrested in 1885. He pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny.  He was sentenced to five years but only served 3 for good behavior. Three weeks after being released he died at his daughter’s home in Harlem.What you may not know about Abraham is that he is best known as “The General”, his specialty was being a pickpocket, and fence for more than 40 years. He led a nationwide ring of pickpockets.Your day is ... 06/21/2020

Caroline Lavinia Scott was born in Oxford, Ohio back in 1832.  In 1845 the family moved to Cincinnati where in 1848 she met Ben.  The two of the began a courtship but did not marry until 1853.  In 1849, her father moved back to Oxford and Ben followed them.  Ben graduated with a Bachelor of Law settling in Indianapolis, Indiana.In 1862, Ben recruited a regiment of over 1,00 men from Indiana.  At first, he was offered the command, but he refused because of his lack of experience.  However, by the end of the war he had obtained the rank of brigadier general.Finally, the family moved to Washington, D.C.  Sadly, she died of tuberculosis in 1892, she was 60.What you may not know about Caroline Scott Harrison, is like yesterday she married future President Benjamin Harrison the 23rd, Presiden... 06/17/2020

Barbara Clementine Harris was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in 1930 to Walter and Beatrice.  She graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1948.  After graduation, she attended Villanova University in Sheffield, England while also graduating from the Pennsylvania Foundation for Pastoral Counseling.After graduation, she served as head of public relations for the Sun Oil Company.  She supported the freedom rides and was included on the march from Selma to Montgomery.  She attended the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia for several years, serving as an acolyte.  Following her dream, she was elected bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in 1988.  She served for 13 years retiring in 2003. She died in 2020, she was 89.What you may not know abo... 06/13/2020

Emily Hancock was born in Clyde, Otago, New Zealand back in 1873 to Franz and Anna.  When she was three the family moved to Dunedin where her father became a successful building contractor.  She attended the Otago Girls’ High School.  Her grades were so high she was awarded a scholarship. She attended the University of Otago Medical School graduating in 1896.  She did her post-graduate studies at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin and in Berlin.  She was appointed Medical Superintendent at St. Helen’s Hospital in Dunedin, serving from 1905-1938.  She married James in Los Angeles in 1928, they had no children.  James died in 1949, she never remarried.She was a founding member of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children in1899. She died in Oamaru, New Zealand in 1968, ... 06/06/2020

Cornelia Hancock was born in Hancock’s Bridge, New Jersey back in 1840.  She was educated at the Salem County Academy.  Her brother-in-law Henry a volunteer surgeon took her to Gettysburg battlefield in 1863.  She wanted to be a nurse, however Dorothea Dix the superintendent of the Union Army nurses said she was to pretty to be a nurse.She went anyway arriving on July 6th, 1863.  She had no formal training but after three weeks she was tending to eight tenths of the wounded.  In February of 1864 she joined the II Corps serving at the II Corps Hospital at Brandy Station, Virginia at the Battle of the Wilderness and the Siege of Petersburg.After the war, she opened a school for African Americans in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.  She opened up several charity organization in the Philadel... 06/04/2020

Howard Tracy Hall was born in Ogden, Utah back in 1919.  He was in the fourth grade when he announced he was going to work for General Electric.  After graduating high school, he attended Weber College for two years before transferring to the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. After graduating from college, he served as an ensign in the United States Navy.  After being discharged, he returned to the University of Utah graduating with a PhD in physical chemistry in 1948.  Just two months after graduation he realized his dream, as he went to work for General Electric in Schenectady, New York.  He was assigned to a team working on project named “Project Superpressure”.Seeing the potential, he designed his own press. His success came in 1954.  His invention only took 38 minutes to re... 05/29/2020

Wendelin Grimm was born in Külsheim, Germany back in 1818 to Valentine and Mary.  His education was limited to training for a career in farming.  He married Julianna where they stayed until 1857, when they moved to Carver County Minnesota, via New York.  They settled in what is now modern-day Victoria, Minnesota.When he arrived in Carver County he not only moved his family he also brought a small bag of everlasting clover seeds.  Winters in his new home were harsh compared to Germany.  He would save some of the seeds and replant them each year.  It wasn’t long before they grew a resistance to the harsh winters. He passed the original farmstead to his son Frank in 1872, moving to Chaska, Minnesota continuing farming until his death in 1890, he was 72.What you may not know about Wendelin ... 05/11/2020

Grata Flos Matilda Greig was born in Broughty Ferry, Scotland back in 1880 to Robert and Jane. She attended school in Dundee, Scotland before the family moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1889. She continued her education at the Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Melbourne but left in 1896.That same year she enrolled at the University of Melbourne.  She completed her education earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1900.  She also received her Bachelor of Law degree in 1903.  After graduation, she worked for the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, drafting proposals to amend the Children’s Court Act of 1906.  She later worked as an employee of Cornwall Stodart, touring the countryside of Wangaratta where she promoted adult and tertiary education.  She retired in 1942, moving to Roseb... 05/08/2020

Jeremy Logan Glick was born in Saddle River, New Jersey back in 1970.  He attended the Saddle River Day School.  He continued his education at the University of Rochester, in Rochester, New York where he was president of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.  After graduation, he worked as a sales and marketing executive for Vividence in San Mateo, California.He was an American National Collegiate Judo champion while at the University of Rochester. Cell phone conversations to his wife on September 11, 2001 he and three other passengers were going to rush the hijackers for Flight 93.  His last words to his wife were: “We’re going to rush the hijackers.”  He then hung up the phone.  The plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  Of course, all perished on the flight, but who know... 03/26/2020

James Gilfillan was born in Belchertown, Massachusetts back in 1836.  He graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.  One of his classmates was the future President James A. Garfield.  After graduation, he worked as an editor of a weekly newspaper.He wanted to be a lawyer, however he took a job with the Treasury Department in 1861 with an annual salary of $1,200.00.  he steadily rose through the ranks, until President Ulysses S. Grant made him cashier of the United States under Treasurer John C. New.When President Rutherford B. Hayes he was appointed Treasurer, serving from July 1, 1877 to March 31, 1883.  He died in Belchertown, Massachusetts in 1836, he was 92.What you may not know about James is that during his time as Treasurer he had a reputation for integrity i... 03/23/2020

Joachim Gotsche Giæver was born in Lyngen, Norway back in 1856 to Hens and Hanna.  He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1881.  In 1882, he moved to the United States working for the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad in St. Paul, Minnesota as a draftsman.In 1883, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he designed several bridges over the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.  In 1891, he moved again to Chicago becoming the Assistant Chief Engineer of the World’s Columbian Exposition.  In 1898, he became the Chief Engineer at D.H. Burnham & Company until 1915.  He was a trustee of the Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago.  He died in Chicago in 1925, he was 68.What you may not know about Joachim is that in 1886, he desi... 03/17/2020

Alberico Gentili was born in Macerata, Italy back in 1552 to Matteo and Lucrezia.  At the tender age of 20 he had obtained a doctoral degree in law form the University of Perugia.  After graduating he was elected as the chief judge of Ascoli.  Because of his Protestant beliefs he had to flee Italy, moving several times before winding up in London, England.He taught law at St. John’s College, Oxford and was a tutor for Queen Elizabeth I, teaching her Italian.  He was appointed the Regius professor of civil law at Oxford University, where he stayed for 21 years.  He prepared a revised version of the statutory laws of his home town, which he completed in 1577.  He died in London in 1608, he was 56.What you may not know about Alberico is that he is heralded as the founder of the science of ... 03/05/2020

John Fryer was born in Well-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, England back in 1753. Can’t find much about his childhood. In 1787, he was appointed master of a ship. After serving in the Royal Navy he retired in 1812. He died in 1812. What you may not know about John is that the ship he was appointed master of was the HMAV Bounty. He was a strong critic of Lieutenant William Bligh and the mutiny leader Fletcher Christian. Despite his anger at Bligh, he did not support the mutiny. So, tell me did you know of John before now? Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free gift of a smile today. 02/02/2020

Florida Friebus was born in Auburndale, Massachusetts back in 1909. Her father Theodore was a stage actor with Boston’s Castle Square. She began her acting career in 1929 in New York City where she played in The Cradle Song at the Civic Repertory Theater.As she progressed she learned the trade will appearing on TV programs such as The Joseph Cotton Show, The Ford Theatre Hour, Perry Mason, The Partridge Family and Rhoda to name a few. She also read stories to children on Look and Listen on KNXT in Los Angeles, California. She died in Laguna Niguel, California in 1988, she was 78.For those of you who are old enough while you may not recognize her name surely you will recognize what she is most notable for. She was the mother of Dwayne Hickman’s character Dobie Gillis on The Many Loves of... 01/27/2020

Clarissa Shortridge was born in Milton, Indiana back in 1849 to Elias and Talitha. The family moved to Mount Pleasant, Iowa just prior to the Civil War. She attended a co-educational school (rare at the time). When she was 15 she eloped with a farmer and Civil War veteran Jeremiah. They settled in San Jose, California in 1872.In 1876, her husband deserted her and their 5 children, never to be seen again. To support her family, she began studying law in the office of a local judge. She also started giving lectures starting in 1877 on suffrage.   She became a leader in the woman’s voting rights movement. She died in 1934, she was 85.What you may not know about Clara Shortridge Foltz is that she was the first female lawyer on the West Coast, the first female clerk for the State Assembly’s ... 01/14/2020

Walter Emmett Flanders was born in Rutland, Vermont back in 1871 to George and Mary. He attended school in Vermont but left as a teenager to start working as a mechanic and machinist. In 1905, he was under contract to produce 5,000 crankcases for Henry Ford. After delivery of the crankcases Mr. Ford hired him.He left Ford Motor’s in 1908 and co-founded the E-M-F Company which was acquired by Studebaker in 1910. In 1917 then President Woodrow Wilson consulted with Walter and others to determine the best methods for producing vehicles to equip the U.S. Military for WWI. He died in 1923 as the result of an automobile accident.What you may know about Walter is that when Henry Ford hired him, his job was to help Ford Motor Company mass produce automobiles. He was the one who introduced the c... 01/03/2020

Henry Howard Finnell was born in Hinds County, Mississippi to Jesse and Jerusha. When he was young the family moved to Indian Territory. He graduated from the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1917, with a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, he worked for the OAMC, as a foreman in charge of the Research Station until 1920. He was also the director of the Panhandle A&M Experiment Station from 1923 to 1934.He made careful notes about the studies of farming, but his recommendations were mostly ignored. In 1934, he worked for the Federal Soil Erosion Service when they established the Dalhart Wind Erosion Control Project. In 1936, his theroies were put to the test, they proved to be extremely successful. At the end of 1937 nearly 5.5 million acres controlled by nearly... 12/28/2019

Carlos Juan Finlay was born I Puerto Principe, Cuba back in 1833 to Edward and Elisa. He attended school in France but was forced to return to Cuba when he contracted cholera. After recovering he returned to Europe in 1848, only to contract typhoid fever forcing him to once again return to Cuba. Not wanting to take another chance he enrolled at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he graduated in 1855. He returned to Havana where he set up an ophthalmology practice in 1857. He had a theory about something that he presented to the International Sanitary Conference in 1881. He became the chief health officer of Cuba from 1902-1909. He died in Havana in 1915, he was 81.Now let’s get to his theory. He was the first person to determine that yellow fever was trans... 12/24/2019

Marcelo Fernan was born in Cebu City, Cebu back in 1926. He graduated with a law degree from the University of the Philippines in 1953. He continued his education at Harvard University obtaining his master’s degree. After graduation, he returned to the Philippines where he set up his practice as a lawyer, soon becoming a litigator and trial court lawyer.In 1955, he married Eloisa, that union produced 9 children and 18 grandchildren. He died in 1999, he was 71.What you may not know about Marcelo is that he was the first Filipino Lawyer to have served as both Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and as Senate President. He is also the third Filipino to have headed both the judicial and legislative branches of government. Your day is worthwhile when you make someone smile, so give the free g... 12/23/2019

Henry George was born in County Down, Ireland back in 1884. In 1902, he was working with his brother Joe fixing bicycles and car repair business. Henry became fascinated with the Wright brothers flying machine. He convinced his brother that they should build an aircraft, so they began the development and building of an aircraft.After completion of building it, it was transported to Hillsborough Park. On December 31, 1909 Henry was the first Irishman to fly and the first Irishman to build and fly his own plane. He then turned his attention to the tractor. He noticed first-hand the issues getting the tractor to attach an implement, so he devised the first three-point hitch system for the modern-day tractor.He later was the first person to design a four-wheel drive system for the Formula 1... 12/16/2019