Harold R. Foster (1892 - 1982)

Cartoonist, he drew the “Tarzan” comic strip from 1931-37.  In 1937, he created and drew “Prince Valiant” comic strip. (bio by: Ginny M)

Harold Ramis (1944 - 2014)

Harold Ramis Harold Allen Ramis (November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, director, and writer specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981); he also co-wrote both films. As a writer-director, his films include the comedies Caddyshack (1980), […]

Harold Rea (1907 - 1985)

Sportsman/Business Executive. Well-known sportsman who devoted most of his time to volunteer and organize projects involving sports. He served as the national President of the YMCA from 1963 to 1965. (bio by: K)

Harold Robert Aaron (1921 - 1980)

United States Army General. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1943, and was assigned as a 2nd Lieutenant and company commander in the European Theatre during World War II. After the war he served in a number of various posts in Europe and the Pacific, rising in […]

Harold Russell (1914 - 2002)

Harold Russell was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada and moved to Massachusetts with his family in 1921, after his father’s death in 1920. In 1941, he was so profoundly affected by the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor that he enlisted in the Army on the following day. While an Army instructor, and training with […]

Harold Shipman (1946 - 2004)

Harold Frederick Shipman was born on the Bestwood council estate in Nottingham, England, the second of the four children of Vera and Harold Shipman, a lorry driver. His working class parents were devout Methodists. Shipman was particularly close to his mother, who died of lung cancer when he was 17. Her death came in a […]

Harold Vincent “Hal” Boyle (1911 - 1974)

Writer. Hal Boyle graduated from Central High School in Kansas City Missouri, started as a copy boy at the Kansas City Bureau of Associated Press, later became a reporter, was AP’s first columnist, won a Pulitzer prize in 1945 for columns and stories from the North African and European war theaters, wrote a book “Best […]

Harold Wampler Arlin (1895 - 1986)

Broadcasting Pioneer. In 1921 he became the first full-time announcer at Pittsburgh’s KDKA, America’s first radio station. He was the first to announce a major league baseball game (the Pirates vs. the Phillies on August 21, 1921).  Family links:  Parents:  Byron A. Arlin (1862 – 1918)  Emma Wampler Arlin (1865 – 1944)  Spouse:  Emily Pace […]

Harold Zinkin, Sr (1922 - 2004)

He was a fitness pioneer with the invention of the Universal Gym Machine where you can do several exercises on one piece of equipment. He was crowned the first Mr. California in the state bodybuilding contest. He was a regular member of the Muscle Beach which inspired the fitness movement in this country. He moved […]

Haroldson Lafayette “H.L.” Hunt, Jr (1889 - 1974)

Businessman. Born Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Jr., he was an extremely talented entrepreneur and a Texas oil magnate. He began creating his huge financial empire from a small investment in oil in Arkansas and founded the Hunt Oil Company in Texas, in the 1940s. By the late 1950s, his estimated wealth was between $400 million and […]

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 - 1896)

Harriet Elisabeth Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, on June 14, 1811. She was the seventh of 13 children, born to outspoken religious leader Lyman Beecher and Roxana (Foote), a deeply religious woman who died when Stowe was only five years old. Roxana’s grandfather was General Andrew Ward of the Revolutionary War. Her notable siblings […]

Harriet Lane Johnston (1830 - 1903)

Harriet Lane’s family was from Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She was the youngest child of Elliott Tole Lane, a merchant, and Jane Ann Buchanan Lane. She lost her mother when she was 9; when her father’s death 2 years later made her an orphan, she requested that her favorite uncle, James Buchanan, be appointed her legal […]

Harriet MacGibbon (1905 - 1987)

Actress. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she made her Broadway debut in 1923 and worked on the stage for some 20 years. She made her screen debut in “Cry For Happy” (1961), followed by “A Majority of One” (1961). Her other credits included “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” (1962), “Son of Flubber” (1963) and “The Judge […]

Harriet Nelson (1909 - 1994)

She was born Peggy Louise Snyder in Des Moines, Iowa, the daughter of Hazel Dell (née McNutt) and Roy Hilliard Snyder. She appeared on the vaudeville stage when she was three years old and made her debut on Broadway in her teens.  She frequented the Cotton Club, began smoking at age 13, was briefly married […]

Harriet Smithson (1970 - 1854)

Actress. The first wife of composer Hector Berlioz, how she inspired him to write his “Symphonie fantastique” (1830) is one of the most famous tales in classical music. Born in Ennis, Ireland, the daughter of a theatre manager, in 1815 she made her performing debut in Dublin in “The Will” and three years later bowed […]

Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (1893 - 1982)

Author. The daughter of American publisher and author Edward Stratemeyer, she was the author of several books for young children and teens. Writing for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the book publishing firm founded by her father, she contributed stories in the “Nancy Drew” series under the firm’s blanket pseudonym ‘Carolyn Keene’. She also contributed stories in […]

Harriette Arnow (1908 - 1986)

Author. Kentucky-born novelist who portrayed the erosion of traditional rural life in modern, industrial America in unpretentious works like her 1954 bestseller “The Dollmaker,” about a strong-willed country-woman’s struggle to retain her dignity and values in a wartime urban housing project.  Family links:  Parents:  Elias Thomas Simpson (1871 – 1929)  Mollie Jane Denney Simpson (1877 […]

Harris Gordon (1884 - 1947)

American stage and silent screen actor. Briefly worked in the sound era, appearing in King Vidor’s drama “Our Daily Bread” in 1934. (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Harris Wittels (1984 - 2015)

Harris Wittels was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the son of Dr. Ellison Wittels and Maureen (née Davidson) Wittels, and raised in Houston, Texas. Wittels described his father as “the funniest dude alive”. He had one older sister, voiceover actress Stephanie Wittels. He was Jewish, and had his bar mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El, across the […]

Harrison Ainsworth (1805 - 1882)

Author.  Born on King Street, Manchester, he was educated at the Manchester Grammar School and, at the age of sixteen, was articled to a solicitor. In 1824 his father died, and he went to London to study at the Inner Temple. In 1826 he married daughter of a publisher who was also the Manager of […]

Harrison Ainsworth (1805 - 1882)

Author.  Born on King Street, Manchester, he was educated at the Manchester Grammar School and, at the age of sixteen, was articled to a solicitor. In 1824 his father died, and he went to London to study at the Inner Temple. In 1826 he married daughter of a publisher who was also the Manager of […]

Harrison Gray Otis (1837 - 1917)

Newspaper publisher and real estate magnate. He published the “Los Angeles Times” from 1886 until after World War I, was also a commanding conservative force in turn-of-the-century Southern California, and an unequaled promoter of regional growth. Born near Marietta, Ohio, he was a descendant of the colonial political activist James Otis; he had little formal […]

Harrison Greene (1884 - 1945)

Prolific motion picture character actor of the 1930s and 40s. He appeared in diverse films such as “Union Depot” (1932), “Riot Squad” (1933), “Kid Millions” (1934), “The Big Broadcast of 1937” (1936), “Hands Across the Rockies” (1941), and “Jitterbugs,” a 1943 comedy starring Laurel & Hardy. (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Harry “Harry Doll” Earles (1902 - 1985)

Actor. He was a member of the famous Doll Family of midgets. Kurt and his three sisters, Frieda, Hilda, and Elly all appeared in the classic 1939 motion picture, “Wizard of Oz.” Harry appeared in the role of a Lollipop Guild member. Harry and Hilda also appeared in the cult-classic horror film “Freaks.” After touring […]

Harry Agganis (1929 - 1955)

Agganis’ family origins were from Longanikos near Sparta, Greece. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts from a large Greek family which includes four brothers and two sisters. He was a star football and baseball player at Lynn Classical High School as well as a strong student, being named as “All-Scholastic” from the state of Massachusetts. Aggainis enrolled […]

Harry Alexander Connor (1904 - 1947)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Ottawa, Ontario, he played for the Boston Bruins from 1927 to 1928, and from 1929 to 1930, the New York Americans from 1928 to 1929, and the Ottawa Senators from 1929 to 1931. After retiring from hockey  he returned to Ottawa, Ontario, and opened up his own Washer and […]

Harry August Jansen (1883 - 1955)

Harry August Jansen was born on October 3, 1883 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jansen came to St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of 6 with his family. At the age of 16 Jansen made his stage debut under Charles Wagner. He then set off on a world tour for 5 years as the Great Jansen. In 1922, magician […]

Harry B. Helmsley (1909 - 1997)

Real estate billionaire. At the time of his death he owned New York’s Empire State Building. He was married to Leona Helmsley.  Family links:  Parents:  Henry Helmsley (1877 – 1948)  Wilhelmina Brakmann Helmsley (1879 – 1943)  Spouses:  Leona Mindy Rosenthal Helmsley (1920 – 2007)*  Eve Ella Green Helmsley (1904 – 1994)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: […]

Harry Barris (1905 - 1962)

Singer, Songwriter. Born in New York City, he was best known for being a member of the Rhythm Boys vocal trio which included singers Bing Crosby and Al Rinker. A professional pianist at 14, he began touring with his own group by 17. In 1926, he co-founded the Rhythm Boys vocal trio, wrote the hit […]

Harry Bartell (1913 - 2004)

Radio and Television Actor, Announcer. He was one of the most prominent West Coast character actors from the early 1940s until the final end of network radio drama in the 1960s. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he grew up in Houston, Texas where he graduated from high school and from Rice University in 1933. He […]