Donald Eugene Lytle was born in Greenfield, Ohio on May 31, 1938. When he was six years old, his mother gave him his first guitar which he learned how to play.  A few years later, he began performing at talent shows, but by the age of 15 he was ready to start playing professionally, dubbing himself “The Ohio […]

Clem Bevans and Merle Earle have a lot in common, which isn’t so strange considering they are cousins. Most notably, they started new careers rather late in life, especially in an industry that seems to favor the young.  Clem Bevans Clem Bevans was born in the unincorporated community of Cozaddale, Ohio, on October 16, 1879.  From an early age, he had a varied career as a

Nancy Jean Cartwright was born on October 25, 1957 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, she’s known for a wide range of things, from being an aunt to actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter to being a writer and philanthropist. Yet, she’s hands down most known for playing not one, but five regular characters on what is arguably

In the fall of 1965, life should have been grand for 42-year-old Dorothy Dandridge. Earlier in her life, she had become the first African American to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award (Carmen Jones in 1954). She had once been a headliner in places like The Cotton Club and at the Apollo Theater.

James Ritty might never have been a household name, he never set out to be a famous inventor, nor did he ever seek fame and fortune in the public eye. He was just a saloon owner, in his words a “Dealer in Pure Whiskies, Fine Wines, and Cigars.” Other than that, there wasn’t much to

Today I’d like to introduce you to a Ohioan You Should Know named Brazon McMurtry. She’s got a fondness for wearing gorgeous evening gowns and can’t seem to help but sing along whenever she hears Dolly Parton on the Radio. Her friends described her as bright and funny. She always had a way of making

Ohio’s very own Eleanor Parker could easily go down in history as one of the more underrated actresses of her time. She started her career as a child actor in school plays, then went on to play a few iconic roles. Yet, history doesn’t seem to remember her nearly as much as many of her

Today’s Ohioan You Should Know is a man named Wilbur Zeigler. But, before we get to him, we’re going to have to take a quick look at a literary mystery – one you may not suspect is a real thing, but according to some it most definitively is. Who wrote all those Shakespearean plays? (Sonnets,

Margaret Hamilton was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 9, 1902, the last of four children born to Walter and Mary Jane Hamilton. The family lived in the more affluent part of town, mostly due to the father’s profession, attorney.  From a young age, Margaret knew that she wanted to be an actress. Her father,

The year is 1863. The place is not Ohio, but Hamburg, Germany. This is where we first meet Professor Otto Lidenbrock and discover that he’s just found an ancient manuscript written in some kind of Runic Script by some nearly forgotten alchemist, Ana Saknussemm. Once translated, it tells of a vast subterranean world.   Before long,