Birth Locations – Page 73 – The Exasperated Historian

556) Jaycee Lee Dugard

"There is life after something tragic happens. Life doesn't have to end if you don't want it to. It's all in how you look at it. Somehow, I still believe that we each hold the key to our own happiness, and you have to grab it where you can in whatever form it might take."

556: Jaycee Lee Dugard

Kidnap Victim

Born: 3 May 1980, Anaheim, California, United States of America

When she was eleven years old, Jaycee was taken while walking to school. Her stepfather watched the kidnap take place and tried to catch the criminals on his bicycle but eventually lost sight of them.

Jaycee was kept imprisoned for eighteen years and had two daughters from her kidnapper, one when she was fourteen and another when she was seventeen.

Finally, in 2009, Jaycee was rescued one hundred seventy miles from where she was taken, and her kidnappers caught. He received 431 years in prison and his wife received 36 to life. However, they will both be up for parole in 2034.

The Dugard family was awarded $20 million from the state of California for various reasons including the fact her kidnapper was literally on parole for kidnap and rape and was a registered sex offender while he was holding her prisoner. His parole officer was surprised to learn he had children. Even more upsetting is the fact the police investigated the property where Jaycee was held in 2006 and 2008 both and she still wasn’t discovered to be the missing Jaycee Lee Dugard.

Jaycee has written two books about her life.

In September 2018 Jaycee’s name appeared in the news again when she made it publicly known how disgusted and outraged she was that one of Elizabeth Smart’s kidnappers was released from prison.

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/jaycee-dugard

https://www.insideedition.com/how-jaycee-dugard-was-found-after-18-years-in-isolation-54765

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/fellow-kidnapping-survivor-jaycee-dugard-outraged-release-elizabeth/story?id=57894163

555) Monica Lewinsky

“[My mother] was reliving 1998, when she wouldn’t let me out of her sight. She was replaying those weeks when she stayed by my bed, night after night, because I, too, was suicidal. The shame, the scorn, and the fear that had been thrown at her daughter left her afraid that I would take my own life—a fear that I would be literally humiliated to death.”

555: Monica Lewinsky

Activist, Television Personality, and Fashion Designer

Born: 23 July 1973, San Francisco, California, United States of America

Monica is a former White House intern whose future was pretty much completely ruined by the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and the absolutely atrocious treatment done to her by the US Media and I’m pretty sure that’s all anyone needs to say about that.

Her paternal grandparents were German Jews who escaped Nazi Germany.

Monica holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social psychology.

To raise money after the implosion of all that crap briefly mentioned above, Monica needed money and one of the jobs she took was with Jenny Craig who offered her a million dollars if—wait for it—she participated in an ad campaign and lost forty pounds in six months! The ads proved controversial and were quickly dropped and Jenny Craig ended up only paying her $300,000 instead of the full million.

Monica is now an advocate for a more compassionate internet and fights against cyberbullying. In 2015, she made a powerful TED Talk (linked in this article) which was called "The Price of Shame". In 2017, she made headlines again after officially joining the #MeToo Movement.

Badges Earned:

Located In My Personal Library:

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

Confronting the Presidents: No Spin Assessments from Washington to Biden by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Sex With Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House by Eleanor Herman

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/personality/monica-lewinsky

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Monica-Lewinsky

https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/monica-lewinsky

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Lewinsky

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-monica-lewinsky-doing-after-bill-clinton-scandal-2018-1

554) Amina Ali Nkeki

“I never thought I would live to see another day. That I am alive today is a miracle.”

554: Amina Ali Nkeki

You All Forgot About These Girls So Quick

Born: c.1997, Nigeria

Amina was the first girl brought home after 276 were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014--instigating the #Bringbackourgirls campaign. She was held by them for two years and was seventeen when they took her.

Amina decided to marry after being told by Boko Haram that if she didn’t, they would be able to pass her around as a sex slave. Getting married meant she would only have to have sex with one man. Amina fell in love with her Boko Haram husband (who was actually the one who helped her escape since he didn’t want to be a part of the group either) and they have a child together, a little girl named Safia.

Amina was discovered wandering in a forest in May of 2016. Her family was able to see her once, but in January of 2017 she was still being sequestered by the Nigerian Police, questioning her about Boko Haram. In October of 2016, the Nigerian government was ale to negotiate for the release of twenty-one more girls, another was discovered in November, and one other girl in January of 2017. Amina and the twenty-one other girls recovered in October were held together, away from their families, but in December of 2017 Amina was able to give an interview to USA Today.

As of April 2019, over 100 of those girls are still missing. 107 have been returned as of that date. The rescued survivors stated three were killed in a bombing raid carried out by the Nigerian government against Boko Haram territory.

Amina and four other girls who were recovered from Boko Haram were sponsored by Americans and were due to be sent to the Christian Hope International School in Southern California in 2018.

The church planned to sponsor the girls and their children, but the husbands would need to find a way to come over themselves.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2016/08/16/africa/chibok-girl-amina-ali-nkeki-boko-haram-husband/index.html

https://apnews.com/a9be47aa078241c8b69952dfda685774/Free-from-Boko-Haram,-Nigeria's-Chibok-girls-are-kept-silent

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/12/23/chibok-schoolgirl-describes-being-held-boko-haram-terrorists-two-years/952628001/

553) Marie Walewska

“I saw only you, I admired only you, I desire only you”. -Napoleon in a Letter to Marie

553: Marie Walewska,

Napoleon’s Mistress

Born: 7 December 1786, Warsaw, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Present-day Warsaw, Poland)

Died: 11 December 1817, Paris, France

Also Known As: Maria Walewska

Marie was a member of the aristocracy who married well when she was eighteen. She had a son with her husband, who was sixty-eight when they wed. However, Marie would never be able to mother this child, as he was seized by various female in-laws to be raised away from his parents.

Marie’s father had been a Polish Independence advocate but had died when Marie was young. Marie took what her father believed in and did her best to fight for it. She was a Polish Independence advocate in her own right, and was lonely and wanting attention, missing her son and her birth family.

A little over a year after her son was born, Napoleon Bonaparte came to town and Marie ended up his mistress. Evidently, Marie didn’t want this position at first, however, Napoleon was already starstruck, and Polish nationalists and other interested parties realized Marie could get Napoleon to listen to their side of the debate.

They had a son together, but Marie’s husband claimed the child as his own. Once Napoleon learned he could actually get a woman pregnant, he divorced his still beloved wife (and Empress) Josephine in the hopes of marrying another woman to secure the future of the French throne.

When Napoleon learned of the successful birth of his son, he sent Marie a bit of lace and 20,000 gold francs (he was on his honeymoon with his new bride at the time). Now that Marie didn’t have to worry about money, she moved away from her husband and settled in Paris. The affair was, for all intents and purposes, over, but Napoleon did visit occasionally to see his son. He ensured Marie’s every wish was granted and gave land and a title to his son.

In 1812, Marie’s marriage came to an end, after Marie’s brother admitted he had forced her into the marriage. After Napoleon was forced to abdicate, Marie managed to visit him on the island of Elba. The visit was only two days long, and Marie would only see Napoleon one other time, after the battle of Waterloo.

In 1815, Marie’s first husband died, and she remarried the following year. She died fifteen months later, after contracting a kidney infection following the birth of her third son (whom she shared with her second husband).

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/biographies/marie-walewska/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maria-Walewska

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7869/maria-walewska

552) Anna Wintour

"People respond well to people who are sure of what they want."

552: Anna Wintour

Former Editor in Chief of Vogue

Born: 3 November 1949, Hampstead, London, United Kingdom

According to Biography.com, she is also known for her “iconic pageboy haircut and large sunglasses.”

Anna became an editor at American Vogue in 1988, but worked at various newspapers before that, including HG—which was known as Home and Garden before she got her hands on it. Anna has also been credited with helping launch the careers of Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs.

She wrote an open letter to Hillary Clinton in 2008 after Clinton declined appearing in Vogue during her Presidential Run for fear of being too “Feminine”. Anna’s letter is so iconic, and I’ll quote it here: “The notion that a contemporary woman must look mannish in order to be taken seriously as a seeker of power is frankly dismaying. This is America, not Saudi Arabia. It's also 2008: Margaret Thatcher may have looked terrific in a blue power suit, but that was 20 years ago. I do think Americans have moved on from the power-suit mentality."

Anna is so fashion forward she even wore pencil mini-skirts during both of her pregnancies.

Her former assistant wrote The Devil Wears Prada; claiming the story is inspired by her real-life working environment with Anna. Anna, for her part, wasn’t fazed, and appeared at the film’s premiere in 2006 dressed in Prada.

Anna’s work also dips into fields outside of fashion. She has created and helped fundraise for various charities and funds, including The Twin Towers Fund, various funds for up and coming fashion designers, AIDS organizations, and more.

Over the summer in 2025, news broke that Anna was officially stepping down as Editor in Chief of Vogue. Vogue's new editor-in-chief is Chloe Malle, a woman who formerly served as editor of Vogue.com.

Anna served as Editor in Chief of Vogue for thirty-seven years. Despite the news, Anna isn't stepping away from Vogue entirely. Instead, she will continue to serve as global editorial director for the company. Anna will also continue to serve as chief content officer for Condé Nast.

Badges Earned:

Located In My Personal Library:

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

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/media-figure/anna-wintour

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1659661/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

https://pagesix.com/2025/08/12/celebrity-news/anna-wintour-closing-in-on-chloe-mall-daughter-of-candice-bergen-to-take-over-vogue

https://pagesix.com/2025/06/26/style/anna-wintour-stepping-down-as-editor-in-chief-of-american-vogue

https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/vogue-editor-chloe-malle-proud-nepo-baby-1236504540

551) Tatyana McFadden

551: Tatyana McFadden

Paralympic Wheelchair Racer

Born: 21 April 1989, Leningrad, Soviet Union (Present-day St. Petersburg, Russia)

Tatyana was born with spina bifida and spent the first six years of her life in a Russian orphanage learning to walk with her hands.

She was adopted by a woman named Deborah who worked as a Commissioner for the US Department of Health. Once in the United States, Tatyana quickly fell in love with wheelchair racing.

Tatyana earned two medals at her first Paralympics Games in 2004 at the age of 15 (the youngest member of Team USA). She earned eight more medals at the next two Paralympics.

Tatyana became the first athlete in history to win six medals in the same sport at the world championships in 2013. In 2016, she would win six more Paralympic medals (bringing her total count to 17). She even won silver at the Sochi Winter Games for skiing—after less than a year of ski experience!

According to Tatyana’s biography on her website, she still wasn’t through, transitioning to marathon racing in 2009. “In 2013 she won the Chicago, London, Chicago and New York marathons, becoming the first man or woman, able-bodied or disabled, to win the Grand Slam (four World Major Marathons in the same year) and then repeated her Grand Slam victory in 2014, 2015 and again in 2016.”

Tatyana graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies in 2014. This diploma came after years of hard work in the school system. In 2005, while still in high school, Tatyana and her mother sued the public-school system in their area, and Tatyana won the right to compete in her wheelchair alongside other students in racing events. Her suit eventually went on to inspire federal legislation. In 2013, the United States government passed legislation allowing students with disabilities equal opportunity to compete in sports and other activities.

In February of 2020, Tatyana was one of the featured "clients" on Bravo's Project Runway. Her designer, Nancy, ended up being the winning look for the week. Nancy ensured the dress she created for Tatyana was accessible as well as stylish and beautiful. Tatyana was able to place the dress on herself and remove it with no assistance. Congratulations Tatyana and Nancy!

Sources:

http://tatyanamcfadden.com/about-tatyana/

https://www.teamusa.org/para-track-and-field/athletes/Tatyana-McFadden

https://www.paralympic.org/tatyana-mcfadden

550) Mercy Brown

550: Mercy Brown

One of the Many Victims of Not Just Tuberculosis but Also the Vampire Hysteria

Born: January 1872, Rhode Island, United States of America

Died: 17 (or 19) January 1892, Exeter, Rhode Island, United States of America

After Mercy died, people reported seeing her ghost walking in the cemetery and town and her brother even said she had tried to suffocate him (he was sick too).

Two months after her death, the townsfolk dug up Mercy’s sister and her mother’s graves (accounts differ on whether Mercy had already been buried or if her coffin was resting above ground waiting for the ground to thaw). Once the women’s coffins had been gathered, they were opened. The townsfolk decided Mercy was a vampire (she had blood in her veins, her face was flush, she’d moved in the coffin, and her hair and nails had supposedly grown). Her mother and sister were cleared of the accusation because their remains had decayed normally (they had died several years each before Mercy).

It should be noted the town doctor, who did not believe in vampires, tried to reassure everyone in town Mercy’s rate of decomposition was normal for their area and the weather (it was literally the middle of winter!), but his words fell on deaf ears.

The townspeople desecrated Mercy’s body by cutting out her heart and burning it on a rock. Then the townsfolk fed the ashes to her brother to cure him, but he still died a short time later.

Mercy is arguably the most famous victim of the hundred or so identified during the vampire “hysteria” of New England in the 19th Century. Today, she is remembered as the last true victim of this hysteria.

Her story appeared on the first episode of Monumental Mysteries.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/mercy-brown-vampire

https://www.history.com/news/the-last-american-vampire

https://vampiremercy.wordpress.com/tag/mercy-brown/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6628164/mercy-lena-brown

549) Catherine “Kitty” Genovese

549: Catherine ‘Kitty’ Genovese

Murder Victim

Born: 7 July 1935, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America

Died: 13 March 1964, Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, United States of America

Catherine’s tragic death led to the birth of the emergency operator system in the United States. Dialing 911 became the official number to call in 1968.

The night of the murder, Catherine was walking home when her assailant appeared, stabbed her, then was scared off by a neighbor. Catherine managed to stumble towards her apartment building before he returned, stabbed her again, and raped her, leaving her there to bleed out. Catherine died en route to the hospital.

Allegedly, thirty-eight witnesses were identified who stood by and didn’t call for help while Catherine was being stabbed to death in the street. This number was first reported by The New York Times following the murders, however, as the years passed, the actual number of witnesses has dropped dramatically. Catherine’s murder gave rise to studying The Bystander Effect, or the theory that the more witnesses there are to a crime the less likely one of those witnesses will help. Today, only two witnesses are recognized as being present and aware the murder was taking place.

Unfortunately, the police spent six hours interviewing her girlfriend on what their sex life was like instead of doing actual police work too, bringing even more hurt to Catherine’s family. If that all isn’t sad enough, Catherine’s family had left New York after her mother witnessed a murder in the city. Her parents and four younger siblings were living in Connecticut at the time of the murder; Catherine had stayed in the city for work. She was the manager of a bar and a loving girlfriend, with her whole life ahead of her.

Catherine’s assailant was caught and sentenced to life in prison. He gave no motive for the crime and was a married man with children. After further questioning, he admitted to several other rapes and two other murders. At the time of his death in 2016, the murderer was known as the longest serving prisoner in New York State.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/crime/kitty-genovese

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/08/kitty-genovese/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7195328/kitty-genovese

548) Anya Ayoung-Chee

Courtesy of THINK School of Creative Leadership

"Trinidad & Tobago is unique in its ethnic make-up because it is a country with people of all races. I am of mixed origin, mainly Chinese, Indian and Caucasian, and although my particular mixture is a minority, I represent the unusual combination of ethnicities that defines us as a people."

548: Anya Ayoung-Chee

Project Runway US Season Nine Winner

Born: 17 October 1981, See Details Below*

Anya is also an activist and entrepreneur.

Her fashion career really launched in 2008 when she competed in the Miss Universe Pageant for her native Trinidad and Tobago where she was able to design of her outfits.

All of her clothes are created in Trinidad. Anya has also opened a café and boutique there as well.

*IMDb claims she was born in Trinidad, but Wikipedia says she was born in New York City. Because Anya claims Trinidad as her home country and takes such pride in her country, I will list her as being from Trinidad. If I ever find a source to confirm New York City I will move her entry.

Sources:

https://www.anyaayoungchee.com/about

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3080006/

547) Sarah Anzick

Courtesy of Johns Hopkins University Montana

“It took your breath away when you realized what it was that you were looking at. It was beautiful to me and very precious.”

547: Sarah Anzick

Molecular Biologist at the National Institute of Health

Born: c.1966, Montana, United States of America

When Sarah was two years old, the remains of a 12,600-year-old male toddler were found on her family’s ranch (later known as Anzick-1—the only known Clovis burial site).

Today, Sarah uses genetics to study allergies, immunology, and infectious diseases.

Sarah also participated in the Human Genome Project. She was featured on an episode of PBS’s Nova entitled: Great Human Odyssey in October of 2016.

Sources:

https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/down-earth-molecular-biologist-sarah-l-anzick

https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/anzick-child-corvallis-researcher-s-story-part-of-pbs-special/article_69df3093-2e77-5559-bff1-88a7c3265332.html