Birth of Rembrandt Peale
Artist Rembrandt Peale was born on February 22, 1778, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He completed more than 600 paintings during his lifetime, including dozens picturing George Washington.
Artist Rembrandt Peale was born on February 22, 1778, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He completed more than 600 paintings during his lifetime, including dozens picturing George Washington.
Photographer Ansel Easton Adams was born on February 20, 1902, in San Francisco, California. Adams was one of America’s most famous photographers, known for his photographs of American landscapes, which helped promote environmental and conservation causes.
Composer Harold Arlen was born Hyman Arluck on February 15, 1905, in Buffalo, New York. He composed over 500 songs during his lifetime, including “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
Minister, writer, and educator Richard Allen was born on February 14, 1760, in the Colony of Delaware. He went on to found the first independent black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
James Mercer Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1901, in Joplin, Missouri.
Actor, director, race car driver, and philanthropist Paul Leonard Newman was born on January 26, 1925, in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Artist Ruth Aiko Asawa was born on January 24, 1926, in Norwalk, California.
Opera singer Rosa (Ponzillo) Ponselle was born on January 22, 1897, in Meridan, Connecticut.
On January 20, 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed as a federal holiday after a decades-long battle.