Birth Locations – Page 134 – The Exasperated Historian

123) Frida Kahlo

123: Frida Kahlo

Painter Remembered for Her Vivid Self-Portraits and Respect and Attention to Mexico’s Indigenous Culture

Born: 6 July 1907, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico

Died: 13 July 1954, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico

Frida is also a feminist icon for defying the odds and breaking the mold of typical femininity (not every woman could rock the una-brow look).

As a child she suffered from polio and then she was nearly killed in a bus accident as a teenager which left her disabled and in severe pain the rest of her life.

She would have thirty operations throughout her life. Though doctors told Frida she would not be able to have children because of the bus accident, Frida became pregnant twice. The first time, at her doctor's urging, Frida got an abortion. However, the guilt of the abortion haunted her, and when Frida became pregnant a second time, she tried to keep the baby. However, the damage to her body was so severe Frida suffered a miscarriage. One of her paintings symbolically depicts both children she lost.

Around 200 paintings, drawings, and sketches of hers survive.

Frida had a very turbulent relationship with Diego Rivera—a man she married twice (they would both have affairs with other people--and for Frida her affairs weren't solely with men). One thing they did agree on was politics—both were ardent communists and lived with Leon Trotsky for a time. Frida's relationship with Leon has been the subject of numerous theories and disputes, but there is no definitive proof Leon and Frida ever had a sexual affair.

Frida was not widely known in her lifetime and sold few paintings—she only had one exhibition in her lifetime, and it was the year before she died. Frida was discovered dead by her husband Diego, and today some believe she died from an overdose of her pain medications.

Today she is one of the highest selling women in art with one of her portraits selling for $5.6 million. She was also the first Latin American woman to have her work showcased in the Louvre in Paris.

The home she grew up and died in is now the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico where her belongings are on display as though she still lives there.

In 2002, Hollywood produced a biographical film entitled Frida, starring Salma Hayek as the artist. I've included the trailer in this article, underneath a YouTube video that is a short biography on Frida's life.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located in my Personal Library:

50 Artists You Should Know by Thomas Koster, Lars Roper, and Michael Robinson

The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes, and Female Firsts by Becca Anderson

In the Shadow of Quetzalcoatl: Zelia Nuttall and the Search for Mexico's Ancient Civilizations by Merilee Grindle

Malinche, Pocahontas, and Sacagawea: Indian Women as Cultural Intermediaries and National Symbols by Rebecca Kay Juger

The Only Woman by Immy Humes

In Praise of Difficult Women by Karen Karbo

Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Scandalous Women: The Lives and Loves of History's Most Notorious Women by Elizabeth Kerri Mahon

Time Magazine's 100 Women of the Year (Frida appears in the 1938 article, "Frida Kahlo")

Who Knew? Women in History: Questions That Will Make You Think Again by Sarah Herman

Sources:

https://www.fridakahlo.org/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18873/frida-kahlo

122) Jane Austen

"I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal."

122: Jane Austen

Novelist who Wrote Sense & Sensibility, Emma, and Pride & Prejudice

Born: 16 December 1775, Steventon, United Kingdom

Died: 18 July 1817, Winchester, United Kingdom

Jane was not well known in her own time but is considered a classical fiction icon today.

She received some formal education, but a combination of typhus and financial burden cut it short (she was the seventh child born into her family).

Jane published her books anonymously in her mid-thirties.

She became ill at the age of forty-one—some people today speculate it might have been Addison’s Disease, and she soon passed away.

Two of her novels were published posthumously.

She never married or had children.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

National Geographic History Magazine Article "Love in the Time of Austen" by Miguel Angel Jordan (November/December 2022 Edition)

The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers' Journey Through Curiosities of History by Oliver Tearle

Uppity Women Speak Their Minds by Vicki León

Sources:
https://www.biography.com/writer/jane-austen

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44/jane-austen

121) Delphine LaLaurie

121: Delphine LaLaurie

Serial Killer Remembered Today for Being Portrayed by Kathy Bates in the Third Season of the Anthology Series American Horror Story: Coven

Born: 19 March 1775 (Or 1787, Sources Differ), New Orleans, French Louisiana (Present-day New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America (Or Ireland, again, sources differ)

Died: 7 December 1849, Paris, France

Original Name: Marie Delphine Macarty

Today her house in New Orleans is a haunted tourist attraction.

Delphine had three husbands and five children.

She lived in New Orleans with her third husband and two of her daughters.

Delphine was extremely cruel to her slaves but since no one could find any evidence nothing was done about it. Finally, after several disturbing reports and the mansion catching fire the police raided the home and found her torture devices in the attic (just watch American Horror Story if you need a more graphic description then that).

Her mansion was soon abandoned after mobs of angry people attacked the home (and seeing as this was New Orleans in the early 1800’s you can imagine just how awful she really was).

Delphine was never brought to justice as she escaped to Paris where she died.

In 1924 her grave was discovered in St. Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans, meaning she was shipped back to New Orleans after her death.

It is fitting that at the time of writing this the two newest “flowers” left on her virtual grave are a cross with a Latin inscription meaning the Holy Trinity and a Bible that says “You Were a Vile Person!”

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/delphine-lalaurie/

https://ghostcitytours.com/new-orleans/haunted-places/lalaurie-mansion/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69748516/marie-delphine-lalaurie

130) Ignaz Semmelweis

130: Ignaz Semmelweis

He proved Puerperal Fever could be drastically reduced using antiseptic methods

Born: 1 July 1818, Buda, Austro-Hungarian Empire (Today Budapest, Hungary)

Died: 13 August 1865, Vienna, Austria

Original Name: Ignác Fülöp Semmelweis

His biggest contribution to medical science though? Introducing the idea, on a large scale, that washing your hands before treating a patient is probably a good idea.

His work was especially important in maternity wards, where the simple act of nurses and doctors washing their hands drastically reduced the number of deaths from infection in the wards.

He received his medical degree in Vienna in 1844. Ignaz immediately began working in the Maternity Wards. At the time, most births occurred at home, where the rate of infection and death was around 2%. Women who gave birth in the hospital had a rate of death due to infection as high as 25-30%.

In later life he worked as a teacher to spread his wisdom and try to make washing hands an accepted practice around the world. Ignaz also married and had five children, as well as opening a private practice.

In 1865, he was admitted to an asylum after beginning to suffer from depression and either dementia or Alzheimer’s. He died from an infected hand wound that was either already presented when he was sent to the Asylum or—sadly was the result of him being beaten by the staff.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ignaz-Semmelweis

http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/people/ignazsemmelweis

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9582/ignaz-semmelweis

129) Sergeant Alvin York

129: Sergeant Alvin York

One of the Most Decorated United States Soldiers of World War I

Born: 13 December 1887, Pall Mall, Tennessee, United States of America

Died: 2 September 1964, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America

It is said when he first received his draft notice in 1917, he wrote on the back “Don’t Want to Fight” and sent it back.

The draft board rejected his status as a Conscientious Objector and sent him off to basic training.

In October of 1918, Alvin and sixteen other men were sent off to hold a railroad, but the map they were given was written in French, so they unsurprisingly got lost and ended up behind enemy lines. It was there that Alvin received his Medal of Honor citation. He reportedly led a group of seven to charge and capture a machinegun nest. They also captured four officers, 128 men, and several weapons.

Alvin received the Medal of Honor from the United States, and similar awards from France, Montenegro, and Italy.

Once he returned home, Alvin became a staunch pacifist. He had already been a deeply religious man, and now home, married, and with eight children of his own, he could see the tensions building once again in Europe, and tried to stop World War II from happening. However, once the war broke out he still attempted to reenlist, but was denied for being too old. He enlisted in the Signal Corps instead, traveling the country to raise money for war bonds and other support work to that effect.

But he didn’t just raise money for the war. Alvin also helped found the Alvin C York Institute in Tennessee, where people were taught industrial job skills to prepare the next generation. The school remains open to this day.

In 1941, a biographical film titled Sergeant York was released, starring Gary Cooper, and went on to receive two Academy Awards. I've included the trailer to the film in this article; the audio track is off but you can still get the point.

Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alvin-Cullum-York

https://time.com/5417006/alvin-york-anniversary/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1135/alvin-york

128) William Cody

128: William Cody

Also Known as Buffalo Bill

Born: 26 February 1846, Scott County, Iowa, United State of America

Died: 10 January 1917, Denver, Colorado, United States of America

He spent his youth growing up on the prairie and even worked for the short-lived Pony Express at age fourteen.

Bill worked as a Union Army Scout during the War Between the States and in 1867 became a buffalo hunter. He believed that he had killed 4,280 buffalo in seventeen months.

Bill also fought for the United States army in the so-called “Indian Wars.”

He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872 (the award was rescinded in 1916 before being restored in 1989).

Bill also worked as an actor portraying a larger than life account of himself and authored an autobiography and dime novels about himself.

In 1883, he organized the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show which would have famous performers like Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull, and Buck Taylor.

Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

After the Fact: The Surprising Fates of American History's Heroes, Villains, and Supporting Characters by Owen Hurd

America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins

Buffalo Bill's Wild West: An American Experience by Robert Lawrence

Cody: Images of America by Lynn Johnson Houze

Haunted West: Legendary Tales From the Frontier (Magazine Published by Centennial Today, Fall 2020)

The Old West by Stephen G Hyslop

Tales Behind the Tombstones: The Deaths and Burial's of the Old West's Most Nefarious Outlaws, Notorious Women, and Celebrated Lawmen by Chris Enss

Where Are They Buried? How Did They Die? by Tod Benoit

Whose Who in American History: Leaders, Visionaries, and Icons who Shaped Our Nation by John M Thompson, William R Gray, and KM Kostyal

Sources:

https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/buffalobill.htm

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/211/buffalo_bill-cody

127) William Moulton Marston

127: William Moulton Marston

Inventor, Lawyer, Psychologist, and the Creator of Wonder Woman

Born: 9 May 1893, Cliftondale, Massachusetts, United States of America

Died: 2 May 1947, Rye, New York, United States of America

William and his wife created the first working polygraph test.

William had four children between his wife Elizabeth and their polyamorous partner Olive.

He wrote Wonder Woman for the first six years of her existence (1941-1947).

A movie that has been panned by his family as inaccurate was released in 2018, entitled Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, I’ve linked the trailer here in this article.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:
https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/william-marston/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6649140/william-moulton-marston

126) Saint Galgano Guidotti

126: Saint Galgano Guidotti

Perhaps the real King Arthur

Born: 1148, Chiusdino, Italy

Died: 30 November 1181, Tuscany, Italy

Feast Day: 30 November

Galgano was born into a wealthy family and became a knight, known for his temper and worldly way of living. It is said that one night, Galgano had a religious vision in his dream. He tried to ignore it for several days, but once, when he was out riding, the vision returned to him, and he completed the journey he’d seen in his dream.

Once Galgano reached the top of the mountain he was said to have climbed, he vowed to put aside all worldly pleasures, but that it would be as easy for him as splitting rocks with his sword. Then he decided to prove his point by driving his sword into some rocks. However, instead, of the blade shattering like he’d expected, it sank down into the rock—and became the sword in the stone.

Galgano never left the mountain again, and today, pilgrims to the site can still see the sword, which has been proven to date to the 12^th Century, still embedded in the stone.

During the year he lived on the mountain, Galgano was said to perform miracles and blessings to the locals who would come to visit with him.

Galgano was canonized four years after his death. The process for canonization for Saint Galgano, including the sworn testimonies of his miracles by those who knew him, are the oldest church canonizations records to survive to this day.

The mountain top chapel where he’d performed his miracles became so famous and popular, the monks who took it over had to build a new monastery at the bottom of the hill. Today, the Abbey of St. Galgano still survives, and is one of the most beautiful of the Gothic buildings remaining in Italy.

While the first King Arthur tales did pop up before Saint Galgano’s lifetime, possibly as early as the 6^th Century, the aspect of Arthur pulling a sword from the stone only appeared after Galgano’s death, leading some to believe part of the Arthurian Myth was incorporated from this real-life tale.

Sources:
https://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/h141_Galagano.htm

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/16/rorycarroll.theobserver

https://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-see-in-tuscany/the-abbey-of-san-galgano.html

125) Martin Couney

125: Martin Couney

Neonatal Technician With Possibly No Medical Training

Born: 31 December 1870, Most-Likely Alsace, France

Died: 1 March 1950, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America

Martin saved thousands of babies by displaying them at World’s Fairs and other carnivals--the admission ticket money went to paying their medical bills.

He was a pioneer in the early idea of placing premature babies in incubators (And led to him being called The Incubator Doctor). His methods are thought to have saved around 6,500 babies. Martin’s exhibition at the 1939 World’s Fair attracted Worldwide attention.

Martin always claimed to have studied medicine in Germany, however, recent studies have shown no one with a name anywhere near like his own ever studied medicine at the schools he named. Even his birth place and date are under debate.

What is known is that Martin came to America in 1888 at around nineteen years old, and before long he set up shop at Coney Island, where his baby incubators were for around fifty years, alongside other places and World's Fairs, raising money and educating the masses.

Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/man-who-pretended-be-doctor-ran-worlds-fair-attraction-saved-lives-thousands-premature-babies-180960200/

https://www.history.com/news/baby-incubators-boardwalk-sideshows-medical-marvels

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149182950/martin-arthur-couney

124) Sergeant Brandon Mendoza

Courtesy of the Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Memorial Fund

124: Sergeant Brandon Mendoza

Mesa Police Sergeant

Born: 12 February 1982, Mesa, Arizona, United States of America

Died: 12 May 2014, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America

The man who killed Sergeant Mendoza was four times the legal limit on blood alcohol and had been taking meth and had driven thirty-five miles on four different freeways before hitting Sergeant Mendoza’s car.

The man was also an illegal alien.

Sergeant Mendoza wasn’t even on duty at the time—he was driving home from work.

Sergeant Mendoza worked in the community to make our city safer, bring rental properties up to code, and inspire children to want to be police officers themselves someday, making his death all the more tragic.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:
http://www.sgtbrandonmendoza.org/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/129827460/brandon-mendoza