He was born in Arras, France. A myth persists that his family was of Irish descent, having emigrated from Ireland at the time of the Protestant Reformation for religious reasons, and that his direct ancestors in the male line had been notaries in the little village of Carvin near Arras from the beginning of the 17th century. However, several genealogists have traced his family back to the Middle Ages in Northern France. His paternal grandfather established himself in Arras as an advocate. His father, who followed the same profession, ...

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Maximilien Robespierre, Maximilien Robespierre - Family and early life, Maximilien Robespierre - Early Politics, Maximilien Robespierre - Robespierre's opposition to war with Austria, Maximilien Robespierre - The great question regarding the execution of Louis XVI, Maximilien Robespierre - Destruction of the Girondins, Maximilien Robespierre - Foundation of the Committee of Public Safety, Maximilien Robespierre - The Terror, Maximilien Robespierre - Robespierre's downfall, Maximilien Robespierre - Historians' views of Robespierre

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Maximilien Robespierre, Maximilien Robespierre - Family and early life, Maximilien Robespierre - Early politics, Maximilien Robespierre - Robespierre's opposition to war with Austria, Maximilien Robespierre - The great question regarding the execution of Louis XVI, Maximilien Robespierre - Destruction of the Girondins, Maximilien Robespierre - Foundation of the Committee of Public Safety, Maximilien Robespierre - The Terror, Maximilien Robespierre - Robespierre's downfall, Maximilien Robespierre - Historians' views of Robespierre

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He completed his law studies with distinction and was admitted as a lawyer in 1781. He returned to Arras to seek practice and to struggle against poverty. His reputation had preceded him. The Bishop of Arras, M. de Conzié, appointed him criminal judge in the diocese of Arras in March 1782. This appointment, which he soon resigned to avoid pronouncing a sentence of death, did not prevent his practicing at the bar. He quickly became a successful advocate. He then turned to literature and society and came to be regarded as one of the best writers ...

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Maximilien Robespierre, Maximilien Robespierre - Family and early life, Maximilien Robespierre - Early Politics, Maximilien Robespierre - Robespierre's opposition to war with Austria, Maximilien Robespierre - The great question regarding the execution of Louis XVI, Maximilien Robespierre - Destruction of the Girondins, Maximilien Robespierre - Foundation of the Committee of Public Safety, Maximilien Robespierre - The Terror, Maximilien Robespierre - Robespierre's downfall, Maximilien Robespierre - Historians' views of Robespierre

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Claudius was born Tiberius Claudius Drusus on August 1, 10 BC in Lugdunum, Gaul, on the day of the dedication of an altar to Augustus. He was the third child of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor, the two older children being Germanicus and Livilla. Antonia may have had two other children as well, but both died young. His maternal grandparents were Mark Antony and Octavia, Caesar Augustus' sister. His paternal grandparents were Livia, Augustus's third wife, and Tiberius Claudius Nero. During his reign, Claudius revived the rumor that his father Dru ...

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Claudius, Claudius - Claudius' affliction and personality, Claudius - Family and early life, Claudius - Accession as emperor, Claudius - Expansion of the empire, Claudius - Judicial and legislative affairs, Claudius - Public works, Claudius - Claudius and the Senate, Claudius - The Secretariat and centralization of powers, Claudius - Religious reforms and games, Claudius - Marriages and personal life, Claudius - Death deification and reputation, Claudius - Scholarly works and their impact, Claudius - Claudius in fiction, Claudius - Footnotes

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Claudius was born Tiberius Claudius Drusus on August 1, 10 BC in Lugdunum, Gaul, on the day of the dedication of an altar to Augustus. He was the third child of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor, the two older children being Germanicus and Livilla. Antonia may have had two other children as well, but both died young. His maternal grandparents were Mark Antony and Octavia, Caesar Augustus' sister. His paternal grandparents were Livia, Augustus' third wife, and Tiberius Claudius Nero. During his reign, Claudius revived the rumor that his father Dru ...

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Claudius, Claudius - Claudius' affliction and personality, Claudius - Family and early life, Claudius - Accession as emperor, Claudius - Expansion of the empire, Claudius - Judicial and legislative affairs, Claudius - Public works, Claudius - Claudius and the Senate, Claudius - The Secretariat and centralization of powers, Claudius - Religious reforms and games, Claudius - Marriages and personal life, Claudius - Death deification and reputation, Claudius - Scholarly works and their impact, Claudius - Claudius in fiction, Claudius - Footnotes

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Collins was born in London, England to Joseph William "Will" Collins (a South African-born Jewish talent agent) and Elsa Bessant (an English mother). She was educated at the Francis Holland School. An aspiring actress, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) with others actors such as Sir Roger Moore and Sir Michael Caine. She has one sister, the authoress Jackie Collins, and a brother Bill Collins. ...

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Joan Collins, Joan Collins - Family and Early Life, Joan Collins - Early Film Career, Joan Collins - Dynasty, Joan Collins - After Dynasty, Joan Collins - Marriage and Family, Joan Collins - Personal Politics, Joan Collins - Homes, Joan Collins - Books, Joan Collins - Titles, Joan Collins - Awards, Joan Collins - Filmography, Joan Collins - Theatrical credits, Joan Collins - Television credits

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Jovovich was born Milica Jovović in Kiev, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) to a Serbian doctor Bogić Jovović and Ukrainian actress mother Galina Loginova Jovović. Her family is Montenegrin in origin, their estate being at Metohija in Zlopek near Peć. Her great-grandfather Bogić Camić Jovović was flag-bearer of the Vasojevići tribe, and officer of the guard of the King Nicholas I of Montenegro; his wife's name was also Militza. Her grandfather Bogdan Jovović was a commander in the Pristina military area, and later inve ...

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Milla Jovovich, Milla Jovovich - Family and early life, Milla Jovovich - Early life and work, Milla Jovovich - Recent life and career, Milla Jovovich - Filmography, Milla Jovovich - Discography, Milla Jovovich - Trivia, Milla Jovovich - Sources

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Philip Phillips was born into a Jewish family in Charleston, South Carolina, the son of Aaron Pfeiffer from Ansbach, Bavaria, who changed his name to Phillips when he immigrated around 1800. The family were members of the Beth Eliohim Congregation in Charleston, and in 1825 Aaron Phillips was the first president of the Reformed Society of Israelites, early leaders in the Jewish Reform movement. Philip Phillips' mother, Caroline, was the daughter of Marks Lazarus, a veteran of Fort Moultrie, the siege of Savannah, and the siege of Charleston in the Amer ...

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Philip Phillips, Philip Phillips - Family and Early Life, Philip Phillips - Civil War, Philip Phillips - Legacy

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Born near Freehold, New Jersey to Charles and Sarah (Coward) Parker, he attended the College of New Jersey, later known as Princeton University, graduating in the class of 1839. He worked in the law office of Henry W. Green and was admitted to the bar in 1842. He married Maria Gummere in 1843 and the couple had two sons and a daughter. ...

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Joel Parker, Joel Parker - Early life family, Joel Parker - Political career, Joel Parker - Governor first term

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George Shenton was born in Perth, Western Australia on 4 March 1842, the eldest son of George Shenton Snr, a wealthy businessman who was Perth's first pharmacist. George Shenton Jnr was educated locally until 1855, when at the age of 13 he was sent to England to complete his education at the Wesleyan Collegiate Institute (Queen's College) in Taunton. In 1858 he returned to Perth, where he received experience working in a range of his father's businesses, including running his father's store in Geraldton ...

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George Shenton, George Shenton - Early and family life, George Shenton - Business activities, George Shenton - Political career, George Shenton - Later life, George Shenton - Cultural references

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According to William of Malmesbury, Ethelred defecated in the baptismal font as a child, which led St. Dunstan to prophesy that the English monarchy would be overthrown during Ethelred's reign. This story is, however, almost certainly a fabrication. Ethelred succeeded to the throne aged about 10 following the death of his father King Edgar and subsequent murder of his half-brother Edward the Martyr. His nickname "The Unready" does not mean that he was ill-prepared, but derives from the Anglo-Saxon unræd meaning "without counsel" or "indecisive". This is a ...

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Ethelred the Unready, Ethelred the Unready - Early life and family, Ethelred the Unready - Conflict with the Danes, Ethelred the Unready - Death and legacy

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Sarojini Chattopadhyaya was born in Hyderabad, India as the eldest daughter of scientist-philosopher, Aghornath Chattopadhyaya, and Barada Sundari Devi, a poetess. Her father was the founder of the Nizam College. She learnt to speak Urdu, Telugu, English, Persian and Bengali. Her favorite poet was P.B. Shelley. At the age of 15, she met Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu and fell in love with him. He was from South India. After finishing her studies at the age of 19, she married him during the time when inter-caste marriages were not allowed. He ...

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Sarojini Naidu, Sarojini Naidu - Early life and family, Sarojini Naidu - In the Freedom struggle, Sarojini Naidu - Poetry Writings and Quotes

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Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Vilsack was orphaned at birth and was placed in a Catholic orphanage several days later. His name was "Kenneth" before he was adopted in 1951 as an infant by Bud and Dolly Vilsack. His adoptive father was a real-estate agent and insurance salesman, and his adoptive mother was a homemaker. He had one sister, Alice, who was six years older than he and who died in her mid-40s. He went to high school at Shady Side Academy, a private school in Pittsburgh. He received his bachelor's degree in 1972 from Hami ...

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Tom Vilsack, Tom Vilsack - Early life and family, Tom Vilsack - Early political career, Tom Vilsack - Governorship, Tom Vilsack - Recent Events

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Rodney was born in September 10, 1764 at Lewes, Delaware, son of John and Ruth Hunn Rodney, brother of future Governor Caleb Rodney, and distantly related to President Caesar Rodney. He married Sarah Fisher and they had eight children, Hannah, George Brydges, John, William, Henry Fisher, Nicholas, Susan, and Mary. They lived at 231 Second Street and were members of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lewes. Rodney received little schooling, and worked as a sailor and merchant for some years. There is a story that before he was 21 years ol ...

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Daniel Rodney, Daniel Rodney - Early life and family, Daniel Rodney - Political career, Daniel Rodney - Death and legacy, Daniel Rodney - Public offices, Daniel Rodney - Election Results, Daniel Rodney - Additions and questions

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She was born in Athens, Greece on November 2, 1938, as Her Royal Highness Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark , the eldest child of the King of the Hellenes, Paul I (1901-1964) and his wife, the former Frederika, Princess of Hanover (1917-1981). Both her parents were descendants of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and despite her country of birth, the family tree on both sides is almost exclusively German and Danish in origin. The Greek royal house is a cadet branch of the Danish royal family of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, which is itself a branch of the House of Oldenburg. Her brother ...

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Queen Sofia of Spain, Queen Sofia of Spain - Early Life and Family, Queen Sofia of Spain - Marriage and Family, Queen Sofia of Spain - Ancestry, Queen Sofia of Spain - Royal Duties, Queen Sofia of Spain - Titles from birth, Queen Sofia of Spain - Trivia

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Jack Ruby was born Jacob Rubenstein to Joseph Rubenstein (1871 -1958) and Fannie Turek Rutkowski or Rokowsky in Chicago, Illinois, in 1911. His Polish-born parents were Orthodox Jews. Joseph Rubenstein was born in the town of Sokolov, located near Warsaw, Poland, then part of Imperial Russia. He was a carpenter as was his father. He joined the Russian army in 1893, serving in the artillery. He married while in military service. Joseph later was assigned to forces positioned in China, Korea and Siberia. He grew to detest army life and ...

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Jack Ruby, Jack Ruby - Family and early life, Jack Ruby - Organized crime links, Jack Ruby - Public assassination, Jack Ruby - Motivation, Jack Ruby - Prosecution and conviction, Jack Ruby - Film portrayals, Jack Ruby - Books

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Mac Murchada was born in 1110, a son of Donnchad, King of Leinster and Dublin; he was a descendant of Brian Boru. His father was killed in battle in 1115. Mac Murchada had many wives and concubines, the first of whom, Mór Ua Tuathaill, was mother of Aoife of Leinster and Conchobar Mac Murchada. By Sadb of Uí Faeláin, he had a daughter named Orlaith who married Domnall Mór, King of Munster. He had two illegitimate sons, Domnall ...

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Dermot MacMurrough, Dermot MacMurrough - Early Life and Family, Dermot MacMurrough - King of Leinster, Dermot MacMurrough - Exile Return and Death, Dermot MacMurrough - Death and Descendants, Dermot MacMurrough - Sources, Dermot MacMurrough - Source for Genealogy

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Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Thornburgh majored in engineering at Yale University, graduating in 1954. He later earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1957, and joined the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart a year later. Thornburgh married Ginny Hooton and fathered three children. Ginny Hooton Thornburgh was killed in an automobile accident that also injured all three of their children. Their youngest son Peter was left disabled due to brain damage. Four years later, Thornburgh married his seco ...

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Dick Thornburgh, Dick Thornburgh - Early life and family, Dick Thornburgh - Political Career, Dick Thornburgh - U.S. Attorney, Dick Thornburgh - Pennsylvania Governor, Dick Thornburgh - U.S. Attorney General, Dick Thornburgh - Later political life, Dick Thornburgh - Returns to private life

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Alda was born in New York, NY. His Italian-American father, Robert Alda (born Alphonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo), was a successful actor, and his mother Joan Brown was crowned "Miss New York" in a beauty pageant. The adopted surname "Alda" is a contraction of "ALphonso" and "D'Abruzzo". Alan Alda contracted polio when he was seven years old, which kept him bedridden for two years as he received treatments. He received his bachelor's degree from Fordham University in 1956. During his junior year, he stud ...

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Alan Alda, Alan Alda - Family and early life, Alan Alda - Acting career fame and M*A*S*H, Alan Alda - After M*A*S*H, Alan Alda - Filmography

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Daniel was born to Squire Boone (November 25, 1696 - January 2, 1765) and Sarah Jarman Morgan (1700 - 1777) in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. His father was born to a family of Quakers in Devon, England. Squire Boone immigrated to Pennsylvania in early 1713 along with his older siblings George Boone and Sarah Boone. The rest of the family joined them on September 19 (Old Style)/September 30 (New Style), 1717. Squire at first settled in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania but then moved to Lower Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania. There he met Sarah Morgan, daughter to a family o ...

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Daniel Boone, Daniel Boone - Family and early life, Daniel Boone - Travels and exploration, Daniel Boone - Revolutionary War battles, Daniel Boone - Resettlement and death, Daniel Boone - Folklore, Daniel Boone - Ancestry, Daniel Boone - Paternal, Daniel Boone - Maternal

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