Chaleo Yoovidhya (1923 - 2012)

Inventor, Businessman. Creator of the well known energy drink Red Bull. Born in Thailand into a poverty-stricken family of Chinese migrant laborers, little is recorded of his early years. He supported himself and his family with a series of jobs, such as bus conductor,  before launching a number of increasingly successful ventures. In 1962 he […]

Champ Clark (1850 - 1921)

Champ Clark was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1892. After a surprise loss in 1894 to William M. Treloar, he regained the seat in 1896, and remained in the House until his death, the day before he was to leave office. Clark ran for House Minority Leader in 1903 but was defeated […]

Chang Apana (1871 - 1933)

Folk Figure.  He was the inspiration for the fictional sleuth Charlie Chan.  The son of Chinese immigrants,  he worked as a cowboy on Oahu before joining the new Honolulu Police Department in 1898.  Carrying a whip instead of a gun,  he often led the force in arrests and became Hawaii’s most famous cop.  During his […]

Chang Bunker (1811 - 1874)

Entertainers. Born in the Mae Klong Valley, Samut Songkhram Province, Siam (present day Thailand) to a Chinese father, Ti-aye and a Chinese/Cham mother, Nok. The brothers, Chang and Eng Bunker, were born conjoined thoraopagus twins, the most common form of conjoined twins, they shared part of the chest wall, and their livers were fused. Legend […]

Chantal Akerman (1950 - 2015)

Filmmaker and Director. Akerman was a director whose observation of women’s inner lives, often using long takes, made her a pioneer in feminist and experimental filmmaking. Born to Polish Holocaust survivors, she was inspired to begin making films as a teenager after seeing Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Pierrot le Fou’ (1965).  Her first film, ‘Saute Ma Ville’ […]

Chargesheimer (1924 - 1972)

Photographer and Artist. He studied graphics and photography at the Cologne Institutes of Art after World War II. His first works were abstracts using light patterns recorded on photo paper and photo montages. He was best known for his lifelike and bold close up photos of German celebrities and politicians, in particular his 1957 portrait […]

Charity Grace (1884 - 1965)

Actress. She appeared in the film, “The Gift Of Love” (1958), as ‘Sarah The Housekeeper.’ She also appeared in the television shows, “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour”, “Ben Casey”, “Dr. Kildare”, “The Jack Benny Program”, “Maverick”, “The Andy Griffith Show”, “Startime”, “Law Of The Plainsman”, “Bourbon Street Beat”, “The Californians”, “Peter Gunn”, “Dragnet”, and “77 Sunset […]

Charles “Chas” Crocker (1822 - 1888)

Nineteenth Century businessman and railroad baron.  Best known as the founder of the Central Pacific Railroad, Charles Crocker was born into a Troy, New York farm family in 1822. When he was fourteen, his family moved West to Iowa, where young Crocker struck out independently, doing farm, iron forge and sawmill work. Swept up in […]

Charles Addams (1912 - 1988)

Charles Samuel Addams was born in Westfield, New Jersey, the son of Grace M. and Charles Huey Addams, a piano-company executive who had studied to be an architect. He was known as “something of a rascal around the neighborhood” as childhood friends recalled. Charles Addams was distantly related to U.S. presidents John Adams and John […]

Charles Adler Jr. (1899 - 1980)

Charles Adler, Jr. (June 20, 1899 – October 23, 1980) was an American inventor. An engineer, he invented a number of safety signals, some of which are still in common usage.  Charles Adler, Jr. was a lifelong resident of Baltimore, Maryland. At age 14, he formally started his career as an inventor when he received […]

Charles Aidman (1925 - 1993)

Aidman was born in Frankfort in Clinton County, Indiana. After graduating from Frankfort High School he served in the United States Navy from 1946-1948 attending officer’s training at DePauw University. He attended Indiana University in Indianapolis.  Among his many television credits, Aidman guest starred on NBC’s The Virginian (in the episode “The Devil’s Children”), and […]

Charles Albert Fechter (1824 - 1879)

Actor. He was a prominent figure in British theatre. Managed the Globe Theatre in New York City.  (bio by: Laurie)

Charles Alexander (1897 - 1962)

Author. He wrote such books as “The Fang in the Forest,” “Bobbie, a Great Collie,” the “Abel and Ailse” series and over 200 stories in “Collier’s Sunset” magazine. He won the O. Henry Memorial award with his story “As a Dog Should.” (bio by: Laurie)

Charles Alexander See (1882 - 1949)

Founder of See’s Famous Candies (Los Angeles). The candy boxes bear his mother’s picture. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Parents:  Charles Alexander See (1848 – 1919)  Mary Wiseman See (1854 – 1939)  Spouse:  Florence MacLean Wilson See (1885 – 1956)*  Children:  Laurance Alexander See (1912 – 1969)*  Margaret MacLean See Nunez (1913 – 1961)* […]

Charles Alexander Shibell (1841 - 1908)

Western Lawman. He headed west to California in 1860 and in 1862 he was a teamster employed by the California Infantry which took him across Arizona. He began ranching near Sonoita, Arizona and lost a number of stock to the Indians. During this time, he was also engaged in mining and some freighting. Later, he […]

Charles Alfred Pillsbury (1842 - 1899)

Businessman. Founder and namesake of the Pillsbury Company. A New Hampshire native, he graduated from Dartmouth College in 1863. In 1869 he moved to Minneapolis and established the C. A. Pillsbury Flour Company with the assistance of his uncle,  future Minnesota Governor John S. Pillsbury;  it eventually became one of the largest flour-milling enterprises in […]

Charles Allston Collins (1828 - 1873)

Arist, Author. Born in Hampstead, North London, he was the second son of William Collins, R.A., who is buried in St, Mary’s Church in Paddington Green. Like his elder brother, the author William Wilkie Collins, Charles was named after a painter, Washington Allston of Massachussetts. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools and, in 1847, […]

Charles Anderson Dana (1819 - 1897)

Newspaper publisher. As a reporter for the New York Tribune he gained nationwide fame in the 1840s when he filed widely reprinted stories from Europe on several revolutionary movements. From 1849 to 1862 he was Managing Editor, resigning over personality conflicts with Editor Horace Greeley. Dana was then hired by the War Department to investigate […]

Charles Anson Bond, Sr (1873 - 1943)

Businessman, Columbus Mayor. Founder and Owner of Bond Clothing, recognized as one of the first chain stores catering to men.  Served as Mayor of Columbus, Ohio from 1908 to 1909. He was said to have made three fountunes during his lifetime and was the consumate salesperson.  His first wife, Blanche Leona Hull, died as a […]

Charles Arthur Floyd (1904 - 1934)

Charles Arthur Floyd was born in Bartow County, Georgia in 1904. His family moved to Oklahoma in 1911, and he grew up there. As a youth, he spent considerable time in nearby Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri.  Floyd was first arrested at age 18 after he stole $3.50 in coins from a local post office. Three […]

Charles Atlas (1892 - 1972)

American Folk Figure. Born Angelo Siciliano in Acri, Calabria, Italy, he and his mother emigrated to the United States in 1904. He grew up in Brooklyn a sickly child. As a teen, he had sand kicked in his face by a lifeguard at Coney Island and resolved to improve his health and physique. Using a […]

Charles Avery (1873 - 1926)

Actor. One of the original seven “Keystone Kops”, he started his career on Broadway before joining the Biograph Company in 1908. A physical actor, he was an important player in a number of Sennett comedies. He claimed to have directed over thirty Fatty Arbuckle comedies in the early days as well as playing in films […]

Charles Bassett (1931 - 1966)

Bassett was born in Dayton, Ohio, on December 30, 1931. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America, where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. After graduating from Berea High School in Berea, Ohio in 1950, he attended Ohio State University from 1950 to 1952, and Texas Technological College, now Texas Tech […]

Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867)

French Poet. Known as “the father of modern criticism.” Charles Baudelaire was born in Paris, where he lived most of his life. His father was a sixty-year-old ex-priest and widower when he married his mother orphan who was twenty-six. His father died in 1827. His stepfather, who became a senator, died in 1857. Baudelaire worshipped […]

Charles Beard (1874 - 1948)

Historian.  Family links:  Parents:  William Henry Harrison Beard (1840 – 1907)  Mary J. Payne Beard (1843 – 1921)  Spouse:  Mary Beard (1876 – 1958)*  Sibling:  Clarence H. Beard (1869 – 1924)*  Charles Beard (1874 – 1948) *Calculated relationship

Charles Beaumont (1929 - 1967)

Author and Screenwriter. A specialist in science fiction,  horror, and fantasy, Charles Beaumont gave these genres a contemporary twist with his rather cynical world view and an emphasis on plot rather than atmosphere. Beaumont wrote one novel, “The Intruder” (1959), and the short-story collections “The Hunger” (1957), “Yonder” (1958), “A Touch of the Creature” (1959), […]

Charles Bellinger (1875 - 1937)

Businessman, Political Leader. As a boy, he learned the art of dealing a deck of cards and became so good at it he was hired to work as a dealer in a gambling establishment. There he worked until he made his boss wealthy. With a little money he then moved to San Antonio. His luck […]

Charles Berlitz (1913 - 2003)

Author of several books on paranormal phenomena including the best selling “The Bermuda Triangle.” Grandson of the founder of the Berlitz language schools. (bio by: Kelly Whyte)  Family links:  Spouse:  Valerie Anne Seary Berlitz (1916 – 2004)* *Calculated relationship

Charles Beyer (1893 - 1953)

Actor. He began his career as a talent agent in 1920 and presented such stars as: W.C. Fields, Lowell Sherman, May Robson, Richard Dix and Victor McLaglen.  Beyer appeared in 29 films, sometimes credited as Charles Byer. (bio by: TLS)

Charles Bickford (1891 - 1967)

Actor. Starred in over 90 motion pictures, most notably “The Big Country”, “A Star Is Born”, “Man Behind The Badge”, and “Four Faces West”. (bio by: Frank  Jasinski)