Birth Locations – Page 152 – The Exasperated Historian

37) Charles Stratton

37) Charles Stratton

But He's Better Known as General Tom Thumb

Born: 4 January 1838, Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States of America

Died: 15 July 1883, Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States of America

Charles is considered to be one of the most famous dwarves in history, and the first internationally known superstar.

Charles was discovered by PT Barnum at the age of four and quickly began to perform (although Barnum would claim he was eleven). Charles stopped growing at the age of six months for a time before achieving his full height of 40 inches tall later in life—only weighing fifteen pounds as a teenager. His parents were of normal stature.

Charles performed for many people and various countries and appeared for Queen Victoria herself three times. Over the course of his career, it is estimated fifty million people turned out to see Charles and his companions.

In 1863, he married another dwarf from PT Barnum’s troupe Lavinia Warren (The Little Queen of Beauty).

Charles would eventually become PT Barnum’s business partner after bailing him out of his financial troubles.

Charles and Lavinia would eventually build their dream home in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Known today as the General Tom Thumb House, it was added to the National Historic Register in 1993. Though most of the miniature interior has gone missing over the years, Lavinia's wood burning stove does survive.

Notes:

While researching Charles's wife Lavinia I realized something was amiss with their story. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum and Find a Grave, Lavinia and Charles had one daughter who died around the age of two years old. However, every other source I've consulted stated they had no children at all, and instead posed with various orphan babies wherever they stopped. According to the documentary I've linked here, Lavinia claimed in her autobiography the child was fake, a stage hoax to attract more attention, but after the child in question died, Charles and Lavinia canceled all their events going on at the time. On both the death certificate and burial records, Charles is listed as the father, and 1000 people turned out for the funeral. If the child was an orphan and not actually the Stratton's child, they obviously grew to love her anyway.

Whatever the truth is, I doubt we'll uncover it in this lifetime.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located in My Personal Library:

He is briefly mentioned in Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Stratton

https://lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/exhibit/thumb/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/tom-thumb/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1032/charles-sherwood-stratton

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209795/victoria-the-queen-by-julia-baird/9780812982282/

37) Safra Catz

37) Safra Catz

Who says girls can't run with the big dogs?

Born: 1 December 1961, Holon, Israel

Current co-CEO of Oracle (serving in that capacity since 2014). Safra has been a part of the board of directors at Oracle since 2001. She was previously President and CFO of Oracle and she started there in 1999.

Safra is also a current director of the Walt Disney Company.

In 2019 Forbes estimated her net-worth of somewhere in the ball park of $953 Million (but they also released a news article saying she is now worth $1 Billion—in any case, lots of money!). Forbes also estimate she made $135 million in 2017 making her one of the highest paid female executives in the world.

If she is in the $1 billion pool she would be one of sixty-one self-made female billionaires in the world—and she only owns 1% of her company!

Safra was one of the many tech advisors who worked with President Trump during his transition period from civilian to President of the United States (though that doesn’t mean they see eye to eye on everything—she made headlines after telling the president she was not happy with his Amazon Deal in 2018—that same year she was considered but did not actually become his new National Security Advisor).

Safra is married with two children.

Sources:

https://www.oracle.com/corporate/executives/catz/

https://www.forbes.com/profile/safra-catz/#73bc6ac072f1

https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2019/03/05/a-rare-find-in-silicon-valley-a-new-woman-billionaire-in-tech/#4b5ca20b557b

36) Steve Irwin

36) Steve Irwin

Just Like with Oprah, I Don't Need to Say More, but I Will

Born: 22 February 1962, Essendon, Australia

Died: 4 September 2006, Batt Reef, Australia

Steve was raised in an animal friendly home, with his parents opening a reptile park in 1970. He spent his childhood catching and rescuing reptiles from the sides of roads and other areas, releasing them back into the wild.

After a few years, his focus moved from reptiles in general to mainly crocodiles, and the techniques he developed to safely catch and release them are used across the world today.

In 1991, Steve took over management of his parent’s reptile park, and two days later met his future wife Terri. They married in 1992.

Instead of a honeymoon, Steve and Terri filmed a wildlife documentary about crocodiles. The project was so successful Steve's hit show The Crocodile Hunter was born.

The couple continued to expand on the wildlife park, and in 1998 they renamed it the Australia Zoo which Terri still owns and operates today.

Steve and Terri have two children together, Bindi and Robert, both of whom continue to work with their mother to expand their father's vision of conservation and education around the world.

Steve tragically passed away after suffering a stingray wound to the heart.

Today, Bindi, Robert, and Terri's work is highlighted in the Animal Planet show Crikey! It's the Irwins!

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Australia Zoo: Creating a Conservation Legacy Through the Eyes of Bindi Irwin by Bindi Irwin

Sources:

https://www.australiazoo.com.au/about-us/the-irwins/steve/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15610559/steve-irwin

36) Sherilyn “Sheri” McCoy

36) Sherilyn “Sheri” McCoy

Who Says Business and Science Can't Mix?

Born: 1959, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States of America

Former CEO of Avon Beauty (from 2012 to 2018).

She became a director of Novocure in 2018.

Before working at Avon, she was pretty high up on the Board of Directors for Johnson and Johnson.

Sheri currently holds four United States patents. She is also a director at Stryker and AstraZeneca.

Sheri is a scientist with degrees in textile chemistry and chemical engineering.

Sources:

https://www.novocure.com/leadership/sherilyn-d-mccoy/

35) John Collins

35) John Collins

He Testified About It!

Born: 24 October 1894, Belfast, Ireland (Present-Day Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Died: 6 February 1941, Belfast, Ireland (Present-Day Belfast, Northern Ireland)

John grew up in a poor Roman Catholic household and was one of nine siblings. His father died when he was younger, and so he had to help take care of his younger siblings and widowed mother.

One of the jobs he took up over those years was as a scullion on the RMS Titanic. At the time of the collision he'd been asleep, but quickly woke and headed up to the decks where he was told the situation was not serious and to go back to bed.

Soon after he made his way to the decks again and pulled on his lifebelt. After realizing he was not going to get onto Lifeboat 16, as he'd been assigned, he found a woman with two children in need of assistance. John was holding one of the children in his arms when a wave crashed into the ship and he was swept out to sea, losing hold of the baby.

John was able to drag himself over to Collapsible Lifeboat B and pulled himself onto it alongside others. The men on Collapsible B eventually made their way into Lifeboats 4 and 12.

Once the Carpathia docked in New York Harbor, John was called to testify before the US Senate Inquiry into the disaster.

He then returned to his native Ireland and continued working aboard various vessels into the 1920's.

John married in 1919 and had three children.

In the last years of his life he suffered from delirious episodes and paralysis stemming from being infected with syphilis, and he lived out his last years in a psychiatric facility.

Badges Earned:

Located in My Personal Library:

10 True Tales: Titanic Young Survivors by Allan Zullo

How It Happened: Titanic, The Epic Story From the People Who Were There by Geoff Tibballs (Mentioned on the Crew List Under "Galley Staff")

Titanic: First Accounts by Tim Maltin and Nicholas Wade

Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/john-collins.html

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/ten-true-tales-titanic-by-allan-zullo/

35) Mindy Grossman

35) Mindy Grossman

She isn't scared to do a little paperwork

Born: 8 September 1957, Long Island City, New York, United States of America

Former CEO of HSN Inc.

She is the current CEO of WW (Aka Weight Watchers) since 2017.

Mindy used to work for Nike and used to be CEO of Polo Jeans (then a part of Ralph Lauren) and was high up in several other Ralph Lauren offshoots. Mindy has also worked at Tommy Hilfiger.

Mindy is also the vice chairman of UNICEF USA and a former chairman of the National Retail Federation.

Mindy is married with one child.

Sources:

https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=1520068&privcapId=754046

34) William Carter

His RMS Titanic Story is Arguably the Saddest I've Ever Heard

Born: 14 September 1900, Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, United States of America

Died: 28 January 1985, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States of America

William traveled aboard the RMS Titanic in the First Class, alongside his parents, sister, and three family servants (one of whom traveled in Second Class for some reason). His parents both hailed from affluent families and they had been vacationing in Europe.

Most important of all to note in this story, William's treasured family pet, an Airedale, was also traveling with them.

His mom, sister, and he managed to get aboard Lifeboat 4, but William had to leave his father and beloved Airedale behind. It is said that he only agreed to it after Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, the richest man aboard the ship (and arguably the world at the time) agreed to watch the dog and keep it safe. William's last view of his dog was of Mr. Astor holding its leash on the boat deck.

William's father and one of their servants would also survive the sinking. However, his father's survival put a strain on his parents' already unhappy marriage, and they soon divorced.

William himself married in 1925 and had two children. He also went into the banking sector, following his father. In later life he divorced and married another woman.

Throughout his life, William continued to travel extensively on different passenger ships, with manifests listing him aboard different vessels as late as 1956, however, he never liked discussing Titanic. He even discouraged any radio or TV interviews. The reason why? He reportedly never got over the death of his dog.

When William died, he was the last surviving member of the Carter family that had survived the sinking. There were also only two First Class passengers to outlive him.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

10 True Tales: Titanic Young Survivors by Allan Zullo

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

How It Happened: Titanic, The Epic Story From the People Who Were There by Geoff Tibballs (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/william-thornton-carter.html

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/ten-true-tales-titanic-by-allan-zullo/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13225343/william-thornton-carter

34) Oprah Winfrey

34) Oprah Winfrey

I Don't Really Need to Say More, But I Will

Born: 29 January 1954, Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States of America

Innovator and businesswoman whose current net worth is valued somewhere in the ballpark of $2.5 Billion.

Oprah is arguably best known for her talk show that ran from 1986 to 2011—then she did what all billionaires do and launched OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network).

Her childhood was rough—she was sexually assaulted by several of her mother’s male friends. After entering radio and network TV on local channels she quickly became a national sensation—and her star burned even brighter after starring in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple in 1985 (she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar).

On the first season of The Oprah Winfrey Show the program was on 120 channels across the United States and Oprah pocketed $30 million of the show’s gross $125 million, and it only grew from there.

She is also known for her weight loss efforts and charity work. Oprah was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

Despite getting engaged to her longtime boyfriend in 1992 the couple has never officially gotten married

Badges Earned:

Located In My Personal Library:

Affairs of State: The Untold History of Presidential Love, Sex, and Scandal (1789-1900) by Robert Watson

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

The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor- The Truth and the Turmoil by Tina Brown

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

Badges Earned:

Located In My Personal Library:

Time Magazine's 100 Women of the Year (Oprah appears in the 2004 article, "Oprah Winfrey”)

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/media-figure/oprah-winfrey

33) William Coutts Jr

33) William Coutts Jr

Barely Survived the RMS Titanic Sinking

Born: 16 October 1902, Chatham, Kent, United Kingdom

Died: 25 December 1957, Steubenville, Ohio, United States of America

He was called Willie by his family.

His family was poor and hailed from Scotland. They sailed in Third Class, despite his father saving up enough money for them to sail second (he had traveled to the United States earlier on and sent the money back, but Winnie--William's mom, wanted to save their money for when they arrived in the United States).

At the time of the collision, Willie and his family had been sleeping. However, once Winnie realized the ship was sinking, she tied lifebelts around her sons to get them ready for what was about to happen. She was unable to locate a lifebelt for herself.

Once they were on the deck, another male passenger who was never identified gave Winnie his lifebelt. Here is where they caught trouble. Winnie had no problem securing passage for herself and her younger son, but Willie was nearly denied passage because of his straw hat. The men loading the boats claimed he looked like a grown man (you can see a picture of him in his hat for yourself, it’s the one above!). Luckily Willie, Winnie, and his brother made it into Lifeboat 2, and they were reunited with his father in Brooklyn, New York.

Once he was grown, Willie married and became a professional musician, manager for the Household Finance Corps, and a credit manager for the Rubber Products Co. He was reportedly held at gunpoint six times over his career.

He had two daughters with his wife and became a member of the Free Masons. Willie was found dead after suffering a stroke at the young age of fifty-five.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located in My Personal Library:

10 True Tales: Titanic Young Survivors by Allan Zullo

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

How It Happened: Titanic, The Epic Story From the People Who Were There by Geoff Tibballs (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/william-coutts.html

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/ten-true-tales-titanic-by-allan-zullo/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8214788/william-loch-coutts

33) Barbara Walters

33) Barbara Walters

Pioneering Journalist and Media Personality

Born: 25 September 1929, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Died: 30 December 2022, Manhattan, New York, United States of America

Barbara was the first woman to ever become co-anchor of an evening news program on a major network.

Barbara worked for many years on The Today Show and ABC’s 20/20 before debuting The View in 1997—the first all-female paneled talk show of its kind (and it’s really sad to see what it’s become—but that’s just me).

Her net worth was valued around $150 million in 2017.

Barbara officially retired from appearing on television in 2014 but remained an executive producer of The View and had made sporadic appearances on various programs since.

She was married twice throughout her life and adopted a daughter.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

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

Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World by Eileen McNamara

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/media-figure/barbara-walters

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/247913679/barbara-walters