Author Archives: petrini1

May 20 Writer Birthdays

1470 – Pietro Bembo, Venetian Italian writer, poet, librarian, historian, essayist, translator, and Catholic cardinal; he influential in the development of the Italian language, specifically Tuscan, as a literary medium, codifying the language for standard modern usage. 1505 – Levinus Lemnius, Dutch writer, physician, astrologer, and Catholic priest. 1754 – Elisabeth “Elisa” Charlotte Constanzia vonContinue reading “May 20 Writer Birthdays”

May 19 Writer Birthdays

1771 – Rahel Antonie Friederike Varnhagen, German author, essayist, and letter writer who hosted one of the most prominent salons in Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries; in addition to her own writings, she is the subject of a celebrated biography, Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewess, written by Hannah Arendt,Continue reading “May 19 Writer Birthdays”

Throwback Thursday: Genealogical Breakthroughs

It’s throwback Thursday, the perfect day for learning about new ancestors! I had some huge breakthroughs today and yesterday, all of them in my father’s maternal family. Basically, working in two different parts of that line, I discovered new 10th, 11th, and even 12th great-grandparents! The chart at right illuminates just how difficult it canContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Genealogical Breakthroughs”

May 18 Writer Birthdays

1048 – Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician; known for his collection of poetry that translator Edward FitzGerald titled The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám. 1452 – Henry the Younger of Poděbrady, Czech poet, writer, and translator who was Prince of Bohemia and Duke of Münsterberg. 1711 – Roger Joseph Boscovich, Croat-Italian writer, poet,Continue reading “May 18 Writer Birthdays”

May 17 Writer Birthdays

1155 – Jien, Japanese historian, poet, and Buddhist monk. 1723 – Bianca Laura Saibante, Italian poet and playwright who was one of the founders of the cultural institution, the Accademia Roveretana degli Agiati. 1792 – Isabella Noel Byron (11th Baroness Wentworth and Baroness Byron, née Milbanke), English writer, poet, memoirist, and mathematician who was marriedContinue reading “May 17 Writer Birthdays”

May 16 Writer Birthdays

1718 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian writer, essayist, mathematician, theologian, philosopher, philanthropist, and humanitarian who was the first woman to write a mathematics handbook and the first woman appointed as a mathematics professor at a university. She wrote the first book discussing both differential and integral calculus, and also wrote extensively on the marriage betweenContinue reading “May 16 Writer Birthdays”

52 Ancestors, Week 20: Bearded

It’s Week 20 of 2023, and of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project. The challenge was created by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, who provides a different prompt each week for exploring family history. I thought last week’s theme, Bald, was difficult. This week’s is harder. The theme is Bearded. It’s harder because beards just doContinue reading “52 Ancestors, Week 20: Bearded”

May 15 Writer Birthdays

1689 – Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont), English poet, travel writer, letter writer, playwright, explorer, and aristocrat who is remembered for her works written during her travels to the Ottoman Empire; her writings address and challenge her society’s attitudes toward women’s intellectual growth. She is also known for introducing and advocating for smallpox inoculation inContinue reading “May 15 Writer Birthdays”