Sometimes, while doing research for one article, I’ll run across something that isn’t exactly related to what I was looking into. History doesn’t happen in isolation, after all. I’ll write down some notes and come back to it later. On rare occasions, this leads me down one interesting rabbit hole after another, to the point where I have tottally forgotten the original reason I wrote the note […]

Michael Patrick Bilon, or Pat to his friends, was born August 28th, 1947, in Youngstown, Ohio. You barely needed to look at him to know that he was different. But, if you spent any time with him at all, you’d quickly realize just how special he was.  Pat Bilon was born with a form of dwarfism, reaching two feet ten inches tall. Or, 86 centimeters, whichever you

We all love a good One-Hit-Wonder. But, they kind of raise a unique question. Since there are numerous examples of artists with a single hit to their names – are there any with only two? Is a Two-Hit-Wonder a thing? Well, shockingly it is – and one of the most famous among them is from right here in Ohio.  A Girl named Tracy

Some Ohioans You Should Know were born in the state, others moved here later in life or were connected to the state in other ways. Yet, they all somehow managed to leave their mark on the area.  What makes the Kiradjieff brothers unique is that while their names might not be familiar, or easy to know how to pronounce (don’t ask

If you are the kind of person who likes to laugh … I mean, really laugh from deep down in your gut, then you should probably know Tim Conway.  Born and Raised in Ohio Tim Conway was born on December 15, 1933, in the Cleveland suburb of Chagrin Falls, except his name wasn’t Tim, but

On April 3, 1911, Stanisława Walasiewicz was born in a place called Wierzchownia, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, which is a real place in Poland. But, she and her family wouldn’t live there long for she was still a young girl when her family immigrated to The USA, settling in the Cleveland area. The family changed their last

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.